It was the first time Xi Xiaye had spoken on the phone for this long, talking about random matters. The man just listened quietly on the other end. After a while, she stopped when she noticed that she was the one doing all the talking and had not heard his voice at all.

"Mu Yuchen?" She called out to him.

"Mmm?" He replied casually.

"I thought you fell asleep. Why aren't you talking?" She frowned slightly as she complained.

He chortled. "Aren't I listening to you? Grandmother is pretty free. She won't mind coming over to help."

Xi Xiaye was moving the mouse in her hand as she responded, "Mmm, I get it. Grandmother mentioned our wedding tonight. I told them we'll set it for October the first because Su Nan and Ruan Heng's wedding is on the fifteenth, so you think..."

"Up to you. I'll leave the decision to you to make as long as it's within this year. I don't have any opinions on it," he said as he flicked the cigarette onto the ashtray.

While he was not very fond of traditional ceremonies, he did not want to let her down, so he left the decisions up to her for the wedding as long as she was happy.

Her eyes brightened, she asked mindlessly as she focused on her laptop screen, "Are you in the hotel right now? Why is it so quiet?"

"Where else do you think I'd be?"

"Who knows? You might be having fun with your business partners somewhere," she replied straightforwardly, familiar with how business talks went. She knew what could happen.

Mu Yuchen was a little stunned by Xi Xiaye's words. He grinned under the dim yellow light, his eyes turning gentle. "Are you trying to check on me now?"

Xi Xiaye took a deep breath. "What do you mean by that?"

Mu Yuchen then noticed that this woman had been with him for too long and had started to get better with words.

He put a hand on his forehead as he stopped teasing her. "It's pretty late now. Go to bed and get some rest. I've called Li Si and he'll go back to work tomorrow, so he'll be helping you."

"Mmm, got it."

...

She continued working after hanging up the call. By the point she noticed the time, it was nearly 11 p.m. already.

When she turned her laptop off, she finally realized that he really was not around and she suddenly felt that the villa was pretty empty. An unfamiliar silence awaited her. She turned off the lights and went to sleep.

In contrast to the quiet Maple Residence, the atmosphere in West Park was gloomy.

Yue Lingsi sat on the living room sofa with a clouded expression. All she thought about was Shen Wenna's beautiful face as well as Xi Mushan's unhappy voice...

Xi Xinyi came back without her realizing. She asked out of concern when she noticed Yue Lingsi not seeming very well, "Mother, why haven't you gone to sleep yet? What's wrong?"

Yue Lingsi came back to her senses when she heard her daughter's voice. She turned around and saw Xi Xinyi was already beside her. "Xinyi, you're back!"

"Mmm, Yifeng sent me to the door. He's afraid that he might be bothering you since it's pretty late already. What's wrong? What happened when you met Aunt Shen today?"

Xi Xinyi sat down beside Yue Lingsi, slowly holding Yue Lingsi's hands.

Yue Lingsi sighed and expressed in a depressed tone, "Shen Wenna didn't really change all these years. She seems even more... Her personality has become even more stubborn than before. It's not going to be easy for her to let go, but your grandmother..."

"Mother, I understand that you're unhappy about her. However, we're at fault here. Didn't I tell you to talk nicely to her?" Xi Xinyi frowned as she looked at Yue Lingsi helplessly.

Yue Lingsi stubbornly retorted, "I wanted to talk to Shen Wenna nicely too, but that witc-... but the way she looked just made me so angry! She even called Xi Xiaye over. Then, Xi Xiaye called your father there and then to ask about the shares. Your father..."

Xi Xinyi's eyes looked cold when Yue Lingsi mentioned it. "What did you say? Sis called Father?"

Yue Lingsi affirmed, "Yes, she's not the Xi Xiaye we know anymore. She dared to threaten me. She threatened me right in front of Shen Wenna!"

Xi Xinyi's eyes had mixed emotions as she gave it some thought. "Mother, let's give up on those shares. I'm really fine. I don't want your relationship with Aunt Shen to get worse. If Father gets upset about it, I wouldn't be happy even if we kept Yueying. I really don't care about these as long as I have my family. Moreover, I don't want Aunt Shen and Sis to bear such hostility against us..."

"You don't understand, Xinyi. Both your grandmother and I are already worried that the document is with Shen Wenna who has now given it to Xi Xiaye. Who knows what she's going to do with it? Just look at how she treats you! We're not going to be at peace if she continues being this impudent... Xinyi, you're too soft, and that's why..."

Yue Lingsi did not agree to just let this matter go and neither would Deng Wenwen. The internal drama in Yueying was getting chaotic with so much happening lately. Rumor has it that someone bought shares from the stakeholders at a high price. They would need some countermeasure for it.

"We're worried that if Shen Wenna's shares got into their hands, then Yueying..."

"Don't worry, Mother. Let me think about how to convince Sis. Yueying is Grandmother's hard work, and it's also the legacy of the Xi family. I'm sure Sis wouldn't betray us. We have to believe in her. It's pretty late already. Go and get some sleep."

Xi Xinyi held Yue Lingsi by the shoulder and supported her.

Yue Lingsi nodded. "Alright, you rest earlier too. I'm going to think of another way."

She then walked towards the staircase.

Xi Xinyi stared at the empty staircase. After some time, biting her lip as she hesitated, she took out her phone and swiftly dialed a number.

The call connected quickly.

"Go and confirm how many times did Xi Xiaye go, especially this year. I need specific information," Xi Xinyi ordered.

"I'll let you know in three days." The call ended after a cold reply from the other side.