Flanking Qi Zhongxun was Guan Liya, who continued awkwardly, "What my husband meant was, before him are our grandparents, our elder brother and his wife, and Qi Chengzhi. He can oppose it, but his opinion only comes in sixth place. Of course, I'll be the seventh person. Song Yu is my niece-in-law, and we won't be discriminating against her. She's our family."

Qi Chenglin nodded and gave a brief response. "From the beginning, I've always supported Big Brother and Sis-in-law together. No one else is compatible with my big brother except for her."

Clad in military uniform, Qi Chengji's straightened posture lent him a dignified aura. "Song Yu's not only my sister-in-law. She's also a good friend of mine since young, and no matter what her status is, I won't let her be persecuted without reason."

"My sister-in-law has a good temper. She doesn't need your underhand tactics, and she's not shameless like you. You took off all your clothes in front of my big brother, but he still doesn't want you and won't even look at you. My sister-in-law may not stoop to your level, but that doesn't mean I won't. Girl, I'll be the first to stand in front of my sister-in-law and take all your tricks!" Qi Chengyue's voice was crisp, clear, and convincing. Even those words seemed pleasant with her baby face. It was her charming and lovable appearance that made everything much more pleasant to the eye.

A rapid succession of camera shutters was heard. The reporters were in such a stupor that they did not know what else to say. They were surprised that the Qi family supported Song Yu so strongly. Qi Chengzhi's relationship with Song Yu may be good, but if the feelings fade and Qi Chengzhi sought extramarital pleasure, the status of those mistresses may never be more elevated to that of his wife.

Putting aside the Qi family as one of the great families, very few households—even amongst the common folk—would stand united to defend their own family's daughter-in-law.

Many have said that daughters-in-law might encounter problems with their mothers-in-law or sisters-in-law, but for the Qi family, none of that seemed to be present at all.

"That…" Amid the disorder, one of the reporters—a thirty-something bespectacled man positioned in the center near the back rows of the crowd—raised his hand timidly. "Mr. Qi. You said your wife's name is Song Yu? If I'm not mistaken, your younger brother's ex-fiancée was also named Song Yu."

"It took me a tremendous effort for me to turn my brother's ex-fiancée into my wife," Qi Chengzhi nodded pertinently and offered his blunt remark.

Like a thunderbolt, his words stunned each and every reporter, causing them to forget the next set of questions they had for him. Qi Chengzhi subsequently brought Song Yu into the company building. The reporters followed suit, but Qilin's doors were already closed. A line of security guards stood in front of the door, preventing the reporters from trying to break in.

The reporters made no attempt to try and barge in. They were still in deep thought over Qi Chengzhi's final sentence. Was he not insinuating that he had his heart set on Song Yu from early on, and that he truly did love her?

If he could make such a statement, then it was only natural that he would not have an affair right after successfully pursuing her and marrying her.

At the same time, offering that piece of information would divert the reporters' attention away, as no one would care about the earlier piece of news. It was clearly a melodramatic battle between the two brothers, with the elder one emerging victorious!

The crux of it, however, was that Qi Chengji did not seem angry at all. He even spoke up on behalf of the couple. Was the Qi family truly that united?

Qilin's employees were also astonished. Qilin Properties was a subsidiary company of Qilin Technology, with Qi Zhongliang and Qi Zhongxun overseeing the latter. Whenever there was a meeting, it was always Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin who went over. Their fathers were never seen, and the same was true of the elderly couple.

Not only were they enlightened that day, but their perception of Song Yu changed as well. None of them thought that the Qi family adored her so much, and from the looks of it, the burdens of marrying into a rich family—such as being at odds with family members and feeling unable to fit in—were completely absent.

The entire family went into Qi Chengzhi's office. By then, Song Yu was too moved for words.

"Everyone… I didn't think…" Song Yu stuttered incoherently and recalled the words told to her by Grandmother Qi and Xia Wenna that morning—Song Yu should not simply just let it pass. Little did she know that it would come to this.

She faced Qi Chengzhi and asked, "When did you…"

"He called us just after we left your workplace." The old lady smiled comfortingly. "He told us his thoughts and we all came."

Qi Zhongliang and the old man used to oppose her relationship with Qi Chengzhi, but after officially being taken as Qi Chengzhi's wife, they had no qualms about protecting her. Song Yu inhaled sharply and wiped her tearing eyes.

"Thank you, I…"

"Silly child. We're a family! How can we let our family suffer such persecution!" The old lady made light of it and waved her hand.

None of them had their lunch yet, and at that point, going out was inconvenient because the reporters would still be there. Qi Chengzhi proceeded to order takeout from Dynasty and have them sent to his office. The entire family then seated themselves over the long coffee table and had a simple lunch.

Qi Zhongliang and Qi Zhongxun then sent their father back, while their mother left with Xia Wenna and Guan Liya. Qi Chengji returned to his base, while Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengyue each went back to their respective offices.

It would not be convenient for Song Yu to head back to Chengshi, as it was hard to guarantee that the reporters would not tail her immediately after. She, therefore, took a half-day leave.

…

…

The reporters vied for the headlines by attempting to be the first one to report the news. They hit enter on their laptops immediately at Qilin's doorstep, thereby sending the report back to their headquarters.

Immediately after that, the news circulated online portals before even going to press.

Although Qi Chengzhi never mentioned Mu Sisi's name explicitly, there were worded hints from him—a business that would be expanded in B City for the first time, someone who was staying at Dynasty, and was a good friend of him. By those three points alone, the arrows pointed toward the Mu siblings.

Mu Huaisheng represented the family brand name, MU, in its expansion within Asia. News of MU's first flagship store in B City had been made public even before Mu Huaisheng came back to the country.

No intensive research was required at all—the Qi family treated the media as a mouthpiece to reveal who that third party was.

Qi Chengzhi omitted to reveal the person's name, however, and without proof, the media did not want to invite a lawsuit. They referred to the woman as Miss M and allowed the public to put two-and-two together.

Mu Huaisheng placed both hands into his pocket and leaned against the door frame. He was looking at Mu Sisi, who sat on the bed while reading the news on her tablet.

He watched as her hands trembled in anger while holding the edges of the tablet.

Mu Huaisheng's usually gentle expression was grim at that moment, and his lips were pursed sternly. When he saw how tense Mu Sisi's face was due to the anger, he snickered and twitched his lips. "Do you still think that the blame wouldn't fall on you if Qi Chengzhi doesn't have any evidence? Have you seen what the Qi family said about you? Are you really going to continue fighting with Song Yu when you're nothing but an immodest person in their eyes?

"After the Qi family made those statements, it's not only you who don't stand a chance, but other women as well. No one will ever have the chance to replace Song Yu." He huffed mockingly due to sheer anger. "Miss M. Everyone knows that it's Mu Sisi. Your actions brought shame to our family."

"STOP IT!" Mu Sisi lowered her head and shrieked.

"Qi Chengzhi's not the only one. The whole family is repulsed by you now. They're all willing to stand up for Song Yu and use the media to convey their message. If you keep provoking them, they'll cut all ties with us." Mu Huaisheng took one step in and entered the room.

"SHUT UP!" Mu Sisi covered her ears.

"Listen carefully, Mu Sisi. This isn't like last time where you can just use our family name to bully the weak." Mu Huaisheng ignored her and continued talking. He knew she could hear him perfectly well. "The Qi family doesn't give a damn about your background. You may be special in America, but this isn't America. This is the Qi family's turf. Here, they can deal with you however they want to. They can stop our family from establishing our company here, if that's what they want. MU won't be able to set foot here. Do you understand that?

"You thought you could break apart their relationship, but they showed you a united family instead. Even the elder members of their family made their stand clearly known. They said it in front of the public to punish you for trying to destroy Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu. Don't you get it? Are you still going to be stubborn about this? I beg you, leave some dignity for our family. Don't humiliate our parents even when they're so far away in America."

"I SAID, GET OUT!" Mu Sisi flung the tablet at Mu Huaisheng.

Mu Huaisheng ducked. The tablet grazed his ear and landed straight onto the door frame behind him. It landed on the floor with a bang, and the screen was already cracked at that point

He clenched his jaw, shot Mu Sisi a glance, then slammed the door and left.

"ARGHHHH!" Mu Sisi threw a fit and punched the bed with both hands. 'What right did the Qi family have to say all those things about me? What right did they have to embarrass me?!'

Still seething from spite, she got off the bed. One by one, she took the décor in the room and smashed them onto the floor.

She thought about the humiliation she suffered in front of Qi Chengzhi, and how he ignored her even when she was naked.

Next came the Qi family's turn to humiliate her in public.

Mu Sisi was exploding with rage.

…

…

The sofa in Qi Chengzhi's office had been replaced by a newer, much larger one. It was even wider than a normal single bed, making it comfortable for two people to sleep there.

Song Yu finished her meal and let it digest for a bit. She began to feel sleepy, so Qi Chengzhi left her to lie down on the sofa.

Seeing how peaceful she was, he could not resist joining her as well.

Drawing her into his embrace, his warm palms lay flat against her back, with only her thin clothes separating their skin. Within his embrace, he felt her small stature—she was only two-thirds the width of his shoulders.

Song Yu covered her mouth and yawned. She then spoke in a husky voice, "I think I'm like a pig. I just feel like sleeping after I eat."

"I'm taking care of you with the mindset that I'm taking care of a pig." Qi Chengzhi chuckled softly and nuzzled his face into her neck. Song Yu's skin felt ticklish due to the short bursts of breath produced by his chuckles.

"You're mean!" Song Yu kicked him on the shin without hesitation. "How can you say that about your own wife!"

Qi Chengzhi's kissed the silky skin of her neck before lifting his head and pecking her on the lips. When he lifted his head up, his lips were still considerably near to hers. His breaths escaped his nostrils when he smiled, landing all over her nose and lips.

His hands shifted from behind and moved to her still-flat tummy. Song Yu's eyes followed suit as she gazed at his hand on her stomach.

They were slender, his hands, and the back of each hand was delicate as well. When his hand was spread, the tendons on the back of his hand were in full display. His fingers, when compared to other men, were much slenderer. Each joint was vaguely distinct, making his hand look strong and robust despite being slender.

"I want to see the progress of your tummy expanding day by day. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to know that I'm the one who took care of it and made it plump," he whispered hoarsely and pecked her lips yet again.

"I don't want to be fat. As I am now, there are still women who throw themselves over you. I'll be ugly if I'm fat, and those women will treat me like nothing if that happened. They'll be even less restrained after that." Song Yu jabbed his chest softly, then placed her face onto him. A whiff of his familiar and delicious scent was enough to calm her down.

Mu Sisi stripped bare and stood in front of him, but he did not want her in the slightest. For that, Song Yu felt proud of herself.

Her arm went under his body and she proceeded to hug him tightly. Her supple palms lay flat against his back and they began sliding down gently. She kneaded his waist for a moment before finally advancing to his muscular bottom.

Already tight in his embrace, he reined her in even more firmly and rubbed against her. She could feel his body turn stiff, including his shaft that was slowly hardening against her.

Song Yu tilted her head and planted her soft lips onto his sharp jaw, kissing softly everywhere without missing a spot. She then continued kissing all the way to the corner of his lip, moving slowly toward the center. Barely seconds after the tip of her tongue grazed lightly against his lip, she heard a moan coming from his throat, followed by him seizing her tongue.

His shoulders tensed and he hugged her tightly, all while kissing her passionately. He sucked on her lips and her tongue, then entered into her mouth. The heat Song Yu felt was so intense that she began to tremble.

His actions were so forceful, and it felt to her like she was being punished by him because she was caught doing something mischievous.

Only when she was nearly unable to breathe did he let go of her. His handsome face suggested that some kind of mischief was brewing, and he subsequently pressed her waist onto his body.

He parted her legs and pressed himself onto her, causing a shiver to come over Song Yu's body. Then, he growled in a low voice, "Are you seducing me on purpose, or did you just want to kiss me?"

Song Yu did not reply, but her face was gradually turning red, almost as if she was using rouge. She lifted one leg and hooked his waist, clamping down on him. He was much deeper than before, although his trousers were separating the two of them.

She heard him inhale sharply as he clenched his jaw in an attempt to restrain himself. He then exhaled heavily while securing her in his embrace. His eyes remained charismatic, and his pupils were so jet-black that ink could almost be squeezed out of it.

"You're seducing me on purpose, aren't you?" his rich voice was rather taut.

"Do you want it or not?" she asked softly. She blushed and her scalp felt hot.

Qi Chengzhi chuckled softly and kissed her forcefully. He flipped over and hugged her tight, while his fingers slid down and took off her pants.

"You're stubbornly seducing me even though you know I can't enter you. Tell me, isn't this called bullying?" he berated her while moving his slender fingers inside of her.

"I'll relieve you," Song Yu grumbled softly and lowered her head in embarrassment.

Without answering her, Qi Chengzhi made her get on all fours and began lapping up her moist tenderness. Song Yu closed her eyes and dared not look at the entire scene, but the tighter her eyes were shut, the clearer things became. She grabbed the pillow just above her head and clenched her jaw, afraid to make too loud a sound.

Her knees became weak and she stretched her hand back to try and touch him. The first thing she came into contact with was his face, and once she knew what he was doing, her brain exploded, leaving behind only a blank slate.

Once he had helped her get her relief, Song Yu used her hand to help him get his.

"Why are you so spontaneous today?" He cocked a brow and helped her to straighten her clothes. He adored her with every new touch and could not help but sneak in a little squeeze when putting her clothes in order.

"I just wanted you," Song Yu muttered while blushing. Her earlier lustfulness could be blamed for her spontaneity, but she shied away from looking at him after the ordeal. She turned her head to the side and hugged the bolster, burying her head in it.

She felt Qi Chengzhi remain motionless for a while, but all of a sudden, he embraced her, saying, "I'm yours completely. Always."

Qi Chengzhi knew exactly how Song Yu felt. She removed her face from the pillow and looked at him with a smile. "Mm."