There was nothing special about that sentence. It was not embellished with poetic lines, nor was it garnished with candied words. Nevertheless, when she saw that Qi Chengzhi said it so earnestly, so credibly, and so resolutely, Song Yu's throat started to sting. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she sobbed.

Overwhelmed, tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Birthdays are supposed to be joyous events, so why are you crying?" Qi Chengzhi purred. His thick eyebrows pinched together. Strangely enough, although he was frowning, his expression did not appear stern.

He cupped his hands on her cheeks and wiped her tears. Song Yu sniffled. At that moment, she had the urge to cry her heart out.

Nevertheless, there were others present, so Song Yu could only hold it in. She buried her face in Qi Chengzhi's chest while her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

"It's all your fault. My birthday is supposed to be a joyous event, but you had to utter nonsense like that. Of course, I will be by your side on your birthday. Besides your birthday, I will also be there with you for all other festivals and special occasions," Song Yu mumbled. She choked every time she opened her mouth. More and more tears welled in her eyes. "You only want me by your side for your birthday? How can anyone's expectations be so low?"

Qi Chengzhi held her firmly in his arms. He looked down and smiled softly at her. His warm lips rubbed the corner of her eyes and wiped her tears as they fell. They were salty yet palatable.

"That's all I want. You are the best gift I could ever hope to receive in my whole life," he whispered. His low, raspy voice was as intoxicating as a glass of aged wine.

Song Yu could not help but laughed. She was laughing and crying at the same time. "And yet you say that you are bad at sweet-talking. You're making me feel so mushy."

"..." Qi Chengzhi's lips twitched. He sighed and teased, "Don't you like hearing them?"

Song Yu sniffled. She rubbed her face against his chest and soaked his suit with her tears. "Qi Chengzhi, I will be by your side for all of your birthdays. I will be there for the rest of your life. Promise me that you will be here with me for the rest of my life too."

"Don't be stupid. I'm so many years older than you. I'll die before you, so how can I stay with you for the whole of your life?"

His soft, thin lips landed on her eyelashes, and he kissed them gently. Her long eyelashes felt ticklish between his lips.

Song Yu raised her head. His lips brushed across her face from her lashes to her cheek, where he planted another kiss.

Song Yu sniffled. With her hands around his waist, she joked, "Have you not seen The Romance of the Condor Heroes1? Xiao Longnu said that before she dies, she will kill Yang Guo even though she had been looking after him her entire life. I think this logic is quite impeccable."

Qi Chengzhi stared at her with his deep, solemn eyes. Under the illuminating lights on a starless night, his expression appeared unusually stern. "Nonsense."

He led Song Yu to the table by her hand. The top floor was not overflowed with bright lights. Dimly lit, the atmosphere was warm and cozy.

Candles were placed on the small, square dining table, and created a ring of light around it. When the two of them sat down, they were encapsulated in the candle's sphere of light.

The orchestra played a gentle melody. Song Yu stared at Qi Chengzhi's handsome, bewitching face under the candlelight.

While they waited to be served, Song Yu cupped her cheeks in her palms and stared at him as if spellbound. Her lips curled. She could stare at him forever.

"I should have dolled myself up today," Song Yu said.

He wore a neat suit. Even though it was what he usually wore to work, he looked exceptionally dashing in them. In contrast, Song Yu was wearing casual clothes for comfort. She felt underdressed for the setting.

Qi Chengzhi squinted at her and teased, "Who told you not to believe in me? If you trusted that I would not forget your birthday, you would have dressed smashingly in the morning."

Song Yu could not help but chuckle when she recalled that their breakfast had suddenly switched to noodles that day.

Song Yu stared at Qi Chengzhi from the corner of her eyes. The longer she stared, the more she adored him. The yearning in her eyes was obvious. Her fingers slowly crawled across the table until her tender fingers touched his fingertips.

Under the candlelight, his elegant fingers, with cleanly trimmed nails, looked as if they were painted in a coat of gold.

"Chengzhi…" Song Yu whispered as she blushed for no apparent reason.

Qi Chengzhi was puzzled. He pinched her fingertips lightly, and slowly inched further up her hand. His slightly rough thumb caressed the back of her hand lovingly.

"What's the matter?" His voice was clear and soothing.

Song Yu shook her head. "Nothing. I just wanted to say your name. I think you're the best. To have your love is the most fortunate thing in the world."

Qi Chengzhi smiled. His defined fingers slid between hers and interlaced with hers.

Once they finished dinner, Qi Chengzhi brought her to the elevator but he unexpectedly pressed the twelfth-floor button instead.

Song Yu was perplexed, but Qi Chengzhi explained, "We're not going home today. We'll stay here. Clothes and toiletries have all been prepared."

Song Yu blushed. The hand in his heated. "Why do I feel like today is grander than Valentine's Day?!"

Qi Chengzhi squeezed her hand. With her hand still in his, he walked behind her and pulled her into his embrace. "I didn't prepare enough on Valentine's Day, so I'm making it up to you today."

Song Yu's stomach pressed against his wand. She beckoned him with her finger, and when he bowed his head, Song Yu looked up and pecked him on the lips. "A reward for you."

Qi Chengzhi let go of her hand and then instantly picked her up. His hands cupped her buttocks as he returned her kiss.

When the elevator door opened, he did not put her down. Instead, he dragged her out of the elevator and continued to kiss her as they plodded forward.

He stumbled along the corridor until they reached their room. He pressed her against the wall for support as he rummaged through his pockets with one hand for the keycard. They were still making out, sucking on each other's lips for ages and grinding their lips together.

Song Yu's face was red and numb from the kissing. She grabbed his shoulders and reminded him, "We're still outside. Let's go in first."

At that moment, Qi Chengzhi had already opened the door. He proceeded to carry her into the room.

"Do you want a bath?" Qi Chengzhi asked in his husky voice. He had her laid down on the bed with him on top of her.

Song Yu's breath grew hot. She nodded, but just as she wanted to push him aside and get up, Qi Chengzhi picked her up again. "I'll help you."

"No need. I can bathe myself." Song Yu wondered if he was tired from carrying her for so long.

"What if you slip and fall?" Qi Chengzhi warned her seriously as if bathing was a hazard.

"Dynasty has great facilities. They ensured their bathroom has anti-slip features to prevent any accidents. There's no way I would fall," Song Yu said. However, when she saw Qi Chengzhi squinted, her voice became softer. Her voice was never loud but it was barely audible then.

"I just wanted to spice things up a little," Qi Chengzhi scoffed.

"..." Song Yu blushed but she obediently wrapped her arms around his neck to let Qi Chengzhi pick her up again.

Qi Chengzhi treated her like a two-year-old who could not do anything for herself and carried her into the bathroom. He put her down on a wooden bench beside the bathtub.

The bathtub at Dynasty was huge, it was like a mini swimming pool. The round sunken bathtub had three steps. The water in the tub would change automatically every ten minutes to maintain a constant temperature.

Qi Chengzhi would not let Song Yu do anything for herself. His long, slender fingers worked on her shirt's buttons attentively. However, the buttons were miniature with intricate designs. Even though his fingers were lean, they still could not compare to a woman's. His fingers appeared clumsy as they worked with those tiny buttons. Not accustomed to doing that, he took ages to undo a single button.

"I'll do it myself." Song Yu wanted to reclaim her independence. She got frustrated as she watched his two attempts before he could undo a button.

"Hands off." Qi Chengzhi gently hit her hand that reached for a button. "I'll get better at it if you let me practice. This is all because I'm inexperienced."

"..." Song Yu was speechless.

After a while, Qi Chengzhi carried her into the bathtub. Just as Song Yu sat down, Qi Chengzhi lunged at her and started to kiss her.

Song Yu was trapped in his arms, so she returned his embrace. Her tender palm rested on his smooth and firm skin. Slowly, her hands slid down his body and groped him.

In the bedroom, Qi Chengzhi's phone that he tossed on the bed rang.

Mu Sisi hung up after Qi Chengzhi failed to pick up her call. She could not tell if he was ignoring her or if he did not hear his phone ring. Nevertheless, she had changed her landline number so Qi Chengzhi would not have known it was her.

As she pondered about that, her phone rang. Mu Sisi picked up her phone with annoyance. She saw that it was a call from an unknown number so she declined the call immediately.

She did not know how her phone number was leaked but ever since she came back to the country, she had received dozens of calls from telemarketers. Therefore, she would never answer any calls from unfamiliar numbers.

However, not a second after she declined the call, the same caller called again.

Exasperated, Mu Sisi answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Mu," a man said through the phone.

Mu Sisi frowned. With a distant tone, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jian Yi. You have probably heard of me before. I'm Qi Chengyue's ex-husband." Jian Yi sat in his car. He put his left arm out the car window with a cigarette between his fingers. He puffed a mouthful of smoke.

"Oh, it's you." Mu Sisi pouted in disdain. "How did you get my number?"

"When there is a will, there is a way." Jian Yi flicked the ash off his cigarette out the window.

Mu Sisi scoffed and squinted her eyes. Impertinently, she asked, "What does Qi Chengyue's ex-husband want with me? Do we even know each other?"

"Miss Mu, don't be so impatient to push me away." Jian Yi took a puff of his cigarette. "What if I told you, I have the means to put Qi Chengzhi on a leash? Will you be interested then?"

Mu Sisi's expression shifted abruptly. She squinted and turned to look outside the window. Coldly, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I know you like Qi Chengzhi. I have something good against him that will give you the ultimate control over him if you lay your hands on it. Not only can you ruin things with Song Yu for him, but you can also have him do whatever you want." Jian Yi stated as he puffed his cigarette.

"What do you have?" Mu Sisi questioned doubtfully. She could not shake the feeling that Jian Yi was fooling her.

"Miss Mu, even though you just came back from America, you are an adult now. How could you not understand the situation? Are you naive enough to think that I'll tell you something so valuable just because you asked?" Jian Yi laughed mockingly.

Mu Sisi pouted and scoffed, "If it's something so big, why don't you use it against Qi Chengzhi yourself? You were kicked out of the Qi family without gaining a single cent from the divorce. Instead, you lost your dignity. So, what makes you think I'll believe you?"

Jian Yi tossed the cigarette out the window and opened the door to stomp out the flame. In a cold voice, he said, "That's my business, so I won't waste your time on it. I'm only going to tell you that I have information concerning the Song family's bankruptcy. Is that enough for you? I know that you have hired people to investigate this. I have what you need right now. You can save your effort."

Mu Sisi jumped out of her seat. She did not even bother to ask how he got the evidence or how he knew she was investigating it. When she heard that, she believed him.

If he did not know that the Song family's bankruptcy was suspicious, he never could have said all those things.

"What are your conditions?" Mu Sisi asked in a deep voice.

"Two million and the Mu family's lawyer to fight for my mother's court case." Jian Yi rubbed his middle finger with his thumb. The smell of tobacco lingered. Due to his smoking habit, the parts where he held his cigarettes felt rougher than the rest.

"Two million? You have a huge appetite!" Mu Sisi exclaimed mockingly, "It's not like I can't look into this matter myself. Why would I pay you two million? You must have gone crazy thinking about money!"

"I know. You hired Xinfeng Investigation Agency, right?" Jian Yi was unfazed.

Mu Sisi did not expect him to know that too.

Jian Yi scorned, "Miss Mu, you have just returned to the country. Besides the language, everything else is foreign to you. You haven't been able to establish any connections here, and you are looking blindly on the internet. Do you really think an investigation agency can get the job done? At the end of the day, you're just burning money. Qi Chengzhi is an extremely cautious man. Do you think he will leave a shred of evidence that any mediocre detectives can find?"

It was true that Mu Sisi did not have high expectations when she went to the agency. Even Mu Huaisheng could only make guesses. He did not have any evidence, so he went back to look at the company's record. However, he could not find a single file on that matter.

If Mu Huaisheng could not find anything, there was no chance for an investigation agency to get any hits.

"Then how did you find it?" Mu Sisi inquired cautiously.

"You don't have to know that." Jian Yi's fingers on his left hand drummed on the steering wheel's leather cover. "After so many years, I have expanded my web of connections. Naturally, I have a way to find out about these things. Think about it. I'll be waiting at MeU Cafe at nine tomorrow morning. I will wait for half an hour, and if you don't show up, I'll just have to assume that you don't want the evidence. After this, if your agency fails to find anything, do know that I won't hand it to you no matter how much money you offer me."

Before Mu Sisi could reply, Jian Yi had already hung up.

…

…

The next day, Mu Sisi drove to MeU cafe.

She drove a newly bought Jaguar. She knew Qi Chengzhi had one so she bought the same model as the one Qi Chengzhi had parked in his Viewpark Residence garage.

Mu Sisi stopped her car in front of the cafe. She then took a photograph out of her bag. It was a photograph of Jian Yi.

It was not hard to look into Jian Yi. His divorce with Qi Chengyue had put him all over the news. A quick search on the internet revealed tons of his photographs.

Mu Sisi put the photograph back into her bag and got out of her car.

She entered the cafe and scanned the place. Jian Yi was not there. She took out her phone and dialed his number. "I'm here. Where are you?"

"Second floor. Turn left, then turn right and go straight. I'm at the corner."

After they hung up, Mu Sisi headed straight to the second floor. She followed Jian Yi's instructions and arrived at a booth in a corner where a man sat with his back toward her.

She walked toward him and sat down across from Jian Yi, who nodded at her. "Miss Mu."

"Where's the evidence? I want to see it," Mu Sisi requested immediately. She was in no mood for small talk.

Jian Yi picked up a leather-colored document file from beside him and took out a few papers. He placed them on the table for Mu Sisi.

Mu Sisi examined each page. The minute she reached the last page, Jian Yi took the papers away from her.

Mu Sisi knew what he meant. She produced a check from her bag and handed it to Jian Yi. "Two million."

Jian Yi examined the cheque. He said, "I know that MU. wants to develop its market here. You guys have established a team of top lawyers. I need one to fight my mother's court case."

Mu Sisi called a lawyer in front of Jian Yi. She told the lawyer to go to the cafe immediately.

"Happy?" Mu Sisi asked coldly after she hung up.

Jian Yi smirked. "Miss Mu, the way you do things is quite straightforward."

Mu Sisi waited for the lawyer. Once she briefed the lawyer, she left.

Once she returned to her car, she hastily poured out the papers to take a closer look. After she stared at them for a long while, a sinister smile appeared on her face. Her lips twitched as she replaced the papers into the document file and put them in her bag.

Mu Sisi flipped the sun visor down and looked into the mirror. She turned left and right, and stared at her reflection as if she was possessed. After she gazed into the mirror for what seemed like an eternity, she smiled at her reflection ominously. It was as if she had gone crazy.

…

…

Mu Sisi reached her home. She made several photocopies of the document and scanned it onto her computer.

As she stared at the computer, she contemplated on it for ages. Then, she stood up and paced around her bedroom. Finally, she opened her wardrobe and ran her fingers across each and every garment there. In the end, she took out a short white dress. It was laced and long-sleeved.

The long sleeves of the dress were embellished with laces. The dress only reached her thighs. There was a significant distance between the skirt's end and her knees. The skirt spread open in the shape of an 'A.'

The design was meant for youthful girls. Mu Sisi stood in front of the mirror and thought it made her look innocent, and yet classy.

She put on cherry red lipstick, and it made her white dress stand out even more.

Satisfied with her get-up, she took her bag and went out.

In the car, she received a call from Mu Huaisheng.

"Are you coming to the office today?" Mu Huaisheng asked annoyedly through the phone.

"I have some matters to attend to, so I'm not going," Mu Sisi answered nonchalantly as she started the engine.

"How can you work with an attitude like that? I think you're better off staying at home and be a brainless spoilt brat," Mu Huaisheng mocked. "Even though it is our family's company, you are still an employee here. So why don't you have the decency to at least ask for leave? You just left all of your work there without notifying anyone, slowing down the whole company's progress. Do you have any idea how much was delayed because of you?"

The Romance of the Condor Heroes 神雕俠侶 - a Chinese wuxia television series