Xi Xiaye's brows raised even further, her fair and delicate face blossoming with a rare smile of delight. The stillness in her twinkling eyes was akin to the night sky after the dark clouds had cleared away, multifarious starlight pouring out in torrents.

"How valid are your words of truth? In fact, I seem to be smelling something from you right now..." She slowly smiled and looked at him bemusedly.

He acted calmly as ever and glanced at her. If he made the right guess, then he would not fall into her trap. He answered in a lowered voice, "The smell of manliness that captivates you."

When he said this, Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. She then looked at him earnestly and said calmly, "No, it's a sour smell [1]..."

"Purely your imagination, Missus. Do you think that a man as excellent as me would be jealous over a lowly man? Preposterous!"

Mu Yuchen did not care about Xi Xiaye's meaningful gaze at all. Suddenly, he set his teacup aside and circled her waist with an arm, pulling her into his embrace. He slowly looked down and accurately caught her Japanese rose petal-like soft lips. After a few moments of caressing them, he continued softly, "Can he do this to you? He might be hiding in some corner, observing a moment of silence..."

Xi Xiaye was stupefied. With the help of the faint light, she saw sparks that seemed eager to prove something in his eyes. She thought about it, then her face flashed a smile. With her arms around his shoulders, she said, "Mr. Mu, explaining means that you're trying to cover something up."

"And silence can be construed as agreeing tacitly..." Mu Yuchen said, unaffected. His arms steadied her body that leaned over as his tall body leaned to one side and then comfortably lay down on the sofa. "I've put the details that VP Liu sent over into your briefcase. Just work on Yueying's general shareholders' meeting for the next two days. The South River project can be set aside for now."

As he said this, his long arms that circled around her waist were strong. She could only follow his lead and lean against him. In the blink of an eye, the two of them were bundled up tightly. She pressed against his chest and could even clearly hear the sound of his heartbeat.

Her gaze was still for a moment, then she looked at him. "Did you buy those shares at a high price? How about...?"

"As long as we get it, the other parts of the process is unimportant. Don't you like it?"

He carelessly cut her off. Then, he thought about it and sighed, "I didn't know what to give you. The fact that you married me just like that... Do you feel like you're losing out?"

When she heard this, Xi Xiaye's heart suddenly felt touched. A flow of warmth was spreading all over from the chest while her expression looked calm as usual. She quietly watched him and laughed gently. "Surprisingly, you can be quite self-conscious, but for real, when we really have the wedding, if the dowry isn't enough, I'm not marrying you..."

"Can you really not marry me at that point?" He suddenly lifted her hand and frowned at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked innocently.

The moment she said that, he had already held her by the back of her head, catching her off-guard by meeting his cold, thin lips...

"Tonight, I'll let you be a queen for once. Do you want to, hmm?"

After an entangled kiss, his deep, extremely magnetic and incredibly sexy voice suddenly rang beside her ear, her breathing quickened and her heart beat extremely quickly. Her starry eyes could not help but twinkle, yet her beautiful face blushed shyly. She looked into his dark eyes in a daze and could easily catch the flaming desire in his eyes.

"I... You..." She was a little too shy and did not know how to answer either. Even though she admitted that when she was pinned down under him, she had thought about when she could turn around and pin him down too.

When Mu Yuchen saw her blushing, he did quite enjoy the sight and admired with interest with one hand on the back of his head. "Are you being shy right now?"

"I am not! Mu Yuchen, how did I not know you liked these sort of things before this?" Xi Xiaye was a little humiliated as she glared at him and justified.

He looked at her earnestly and said, "Injustice, Missus! Look at how your husband is such an honorable person. Do I look like that kind of person? Missus, you have to think of it like this. I'm only doing all of this for your own good. Think about it. If you can even pin me down, then who else could be your match? I'm raising your confidence here, can't you see?"

XI Xiaye had to admire his quick reaction, but she could not help but feel annoyed. "What does confidence have to do with this?"

"Won't you know once you try? Are you unwilling or are you afraid?"

"Nonsense! If you dare to mention it, then why would I be afraid?"

"Then, let's go back right now..."

Once he said that, a certain person had already swiftly got up, carried her with ease, and walked in huge strides towards the bedroom...

Compared to the cozy stillness of the Maple Residence, in Han Yifeng's villa, there seemed to be a stifling air.

On the large, luxurious and snug bed, Han Yifeng was leaning against the bedhead and looking through his phone. Xi Xinyi walked out of the bathroom wearing a sexy, pure silk nightgown. She pulled the blanket open and leaned towards Han Yifeng. "Yifeng..."

Han Yifeng put his phone away and turned slightly to his side, his expression quiet as he said, "Sleep earlier."

His voice was filled with fatigue that could not be described.

He finally managed to suppress the reporters by the entrance of his office with much effort. Now that the government had that document, he could not help but feel a pounding headache from all the drama.

"Yifeng, are you angry at me? I really didn't think of taking that thing to coerce Sister into anything. I didn't know that it would turn out like this too. I also didn't know it would bring trouble to the Han Corporation. Grandmother and Mother are already thinking of a plan to counter this. Tomorrow, they'll hold a press conference and clarify this matter on our behalf... Don't blame me anymore, okay? Yifeng..."

As Xi Xinyi spoke, her charming face could not hide how it looked weak and pale. Her gentle voice sounded sad as she reached out and gently pulled at Han Yifeng's sleeve.

Han Yifeng had his back facing her when he was slightly startled by her actions. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes. "I'm not blaming you. I'm a little tired today. Rest earlier. Tomorrow, I still have work. There's some follow-up that I still need to handle."

Seeing his cold attitude, Xi Xinyi expression changed. The light in her eyes dimmed. She thought about it before gently leaning her whole body forward and planting a kiss on Han Yifeng's lips. Her little hand reached for his belt...

However, before she could do anything, Han Yifeng had already caught her hand and gently pushed her away. He slowly got down from the bed and said, "I'm going to work on one more document. Sleep first."

Then, his tall figure walked towards the door...

Bam!

There was a heavy sound of the door closing akin to a massive hammer knocking right on Xi Xinyi's heart, and she could not help but shudder.

She stared blankly at the door that was closed in a daze. A long while after that, she lowered her gaze and hid the loneliness expressed by her eyes. She clasped both hands tightly before thinking about it, then peered down at the sexy nightgown she had changed into and sighed. Finally, she pulled the blanket away and got down from the bed.

She quickly took her own clothes out from the wardrobe and swiftly put them on. Then, she left the bedroom.

When she reached the entrance of the study room, she saw that the light in the room was still switched on. Peeking through the gap of the door and seeing him sitting by the desk and smoking, he seemed lonely. Her beautiful eyes dimmed and she could not help but bite on her lips out of habit. Then, she said to Han Yifeng inside, "Yifeng, I'm going home now. Don't sleep too late. I'll worry."

She turned around and was about to leave.

"How are you going back this late? It's quite far to go back from here." Han Yifeng looked up, exhaling a puff of smoke and looking at Xi Xinyi by the door. His silent eyes were filled with conflict.

Xi Xinyi sniffed a little, her voice remaining gentle yet carrying a hint of her choking on her sobs. "It's fine, I'll go by myself. You should rest earlier too."

"Xinyi!" Han Yifeng frowned. He then abruptly stood up and walked quickly toward her. He held her by the hand and said, "It's already so late right now. You should wait till tomorrow morning even if you want to go home!"

Xi Xinyi struggled for a while before she gazed up with her tearful eyes and stared at him stubbornly. "I'm going home right now. I don't want to stay here and suffocate you, making you unhappy!"

"I'm not unhappy. I'm just a little tired," Han Yifeng explained weakly, "If you think it's because of all these scandals, I'm already used to it. Xinyi, why don't you quit the entertainment industry? Just be a good Mrs. Han. Wouldn't that be great?

"The showbiz is mixed with the good and bad. There are a lot of troubles too. Why don't quit? You don't have to be associated with these wicked people anymore. After we're married, you can just help Grandmother manage Yueying."

As Han Yifeng said this, his hand on Xi Xinyi tightened. There was a hope that could not be concealed in his eyes.

This was not his first time mentioning this, but every time he did, Xi Xinyi would immediately reject him, he wondered if this time, it would be the same as all the times before?

When Han Yifeng said all of that, Xi Xinyi instantly turned nervous. Her pale and weak face held a hint of darkness. Suddenly, she turned to her side and her little hand gripped onto Han Yifeng's hand tightly too. "Yifeng, you know that taking the path of stardom and becoming a superstar is my dream since I was young. Now, I'm already so close to it, so why shouldn't I persist? I promise you that the instance I achieve my dreams, I'll go all out and be your good Mrs. Han, okay?"

Her beautiful eyes begged him. "When you proposed to me, didn't you already promise me this?"

"But now is a precarious time. You might as well quit now during this storm. Xinyi, I've always gone with your wishes. Can't you just go with mine for once?"

"Yifeng! Don't you know how much I've given up to take on this path to stardom? Now that I'm finally here, you want me to give up? Why should I give up? You don't understand how important it is to me just like how the Han Corporation is important to you. I've persisted till now. I really don't want to give up... I don't want to see all my years of hard work be destroyed just like that! I'm begging you, I'm begging you, okay, Yifeng? I really need you to be marching on with me..."

As she said this, Xi Xinyi was suddenly tearful. Her voice had also become raspy from her crying and her fingers on the hand that held onto Han Yifeng turned slightly pale.

"I know that this time, it was my carelessness, but I can guarantee you that I really wasn't intentional. I've never thought about threatening Sister even if she treats me this cruelly. I've never blamed her. I'm begging you to not tell me to give up. I'm really afraid that I won't be able to hold on alone. I really need you, Yifeng... Don't be mad at me, okay?"

Teardrops started to fall, making her beautiful face appear pitiful with the glistening tears. Even if she seemed like she tried her best to hold them back, but she could not seem to stop the surge of tears.

She could no longer resist and leaned into his arms as her hot tears instantly soaked the front of his shirt. Momentarily dazed, he looked down at Xi Xinyi who was hugging him sadly. Her hands around his waist seemed as if she was clutching onto life-saving straws; it was that tight.

Quite a while after that, he finally sighed disappointed and worriedly lifted a hand to hug her by the shoulders before consoling, "I've always let you be. When can you accommodate me in return? Xinyi, I can be tired too. This thing has already made Grandfather and our parents a little upset. If we don't quickly think of a way to calm things down, it'll be bad for everyone."

Xi Xinyi wiped away her tears and sniffed with reddened eyes. "I know, but... who would've thought that the document would go through so quickly? Initially, Mother went looking for my uncles to see if they could retract it, but unexpectedly, Sister... She... Why did she do this to me? Did I not compensate her enough?"

When Xi Xiaye was mentioned, Han Yifeng's eyes shifted in a turmoil. The scene by the South River earlier that day started to flash in his mind again, her words echoing in his ear.

"As for Xiaye's matter, can't we just let it pass? Whether or not she forgives us wouldn't really affect our lives just like the years we spent abroad. Didn't everyone live in harmony? Is there something you can't let go of right now?"

As if he was a little worn out, Han Yifeng's tone sounded quite frustrated and helpless.

"It's not me who won't let go right now. It's she who won't let go of me. She wants to take revenge on Mother and me. All these years, she's been resentful of my mother and me for taking away what was originally hers! I'm also the daughter of the Xi family and Father's daughter too, aren't I?"

Xi Xinyi took in a deep breath and blinked her moist eyes. She continued, "As for Sister, I've always respected her. If she forces me to my wits' end, I wouldn't... wouldn't..."

Xi Xinyi did not continue after that, but from her eyes, Han Yifeng could understand what she was trying to say.

"If taking a step back can resolve this quarrel and grudge, then take a step back, Xinyi," Han Yifeng softly said, then he slowly let go and suddenly turned to walk into the study room.

The scandal did not die down. Instead, it was gaining more and more traction.

The media started reporting it.

Due to City Z paying attention to the development of healthy children lately, words like "orphanage" had become seemingly sensitive. Needless to say, the whole matter turned into a pretty big deal.

Huge crowds of reporters flooded the entrance of Yueying Culture Media Company. Everyone wanted an explanation from Xi Xinyi, including the Han Corporation as well.

Deng Wenwen succumbed under the pressure and held a press conference to give an explanation regarding this matter. It was the stakeholders' meeting tomorrow, after all, and she needed to be cautious.

Yueying's current situation was like a ship sailing in a storm. One more large wave and it would sink, and since Yueying was Deng Wenwen's heart and soul, she could not just let it go down.

Naturally, Xi Xinyi attended the press conference, and as Xi Xiaye predicted before, she gave up on the ownership of the land.

At this moment, Xi Xiaye was standing on the edge of the New Era Plaza. She raised her head and looked at the enormous television screen on the wall, which was live-streaming Xi Xinyi's press conference.

Under the pressure of countless flashlights, Xi Xinyi was still able to remain composed as she gave her explanation to the crowd. Of course, she was just following a perfectly edited speech.

"I genuinely apologize for causing many doubts and misunderstanding. I've been keeping an eye on the orphanage for a long time and have mentioned it to CEO Han several times. He was concerned as well. Recently, the government has been very active in charity work for children with a purpose to encourage everyone to pay attention to the children in our city and be concerned about their development. I think that I should do my part as well, and the decision to buy the orphanage land was made after a long discussion with CEO Han. It was to help them protect their home..."

...

In the end, Xi Xinyi was forced to donate the land to the orphanage as well as $3 million as renovation fees.

Xi Xiaye herself was shocked by how valuable that piece of land was. Xi Xinyi did not have a choice now but to let go of this extremely valuable land.

Impressed by Xi Xinyi's decisiveness, Xi Xiaye had a sarcastic grin on her face as her eyes were filled with interest.

Xi Xinyi, how did it feel like to suffer a double loss after trying to trick me?

Naturally, it was a rare occurrence for such a large donation in City Z. Even with a top star like Xi Xinyi, it was unnatural for her to just give it away, especially when Yueying Culture Media Company was infamous for being stingy in the industry.

Doubts started coming from the reporters.

"Ms. Xi, Ning An Orphanage mentioned there was neither any discussion about the purchase of the orphanage nor any donations at all, yet you told us about this today. Are you just doing it out of guilt?"

"Ms. Xi, please explain!"

...

The reporters were asking tough questions. Xi Xinyi's reasoning did not seem convincing enough. Of course, she dared not mention Xi Xiaye's name in public because not only would this make things difficult with Xi Mushan, but it would also become a much worse mess than this.

Xi Xinyi just wanted this matter to end as soon as possible.

...

Xi Xiaye stopped watching. She turned around and walked through the crowd focused on the enormous screen, arriving beside her car after a while.

The moment she reached the car, Mu Yuchen opened the door for her from the inside.

"What took you so long?" He asked quietly as she got into the car.

She buckled her seatbelt and started the car as she replied, "I took a look at Xi Xinyi's press conference. As I imagined, she gave up on the orphanage. I'm really impressed though. She's really generous."

"You made her do that, didn't you?"

He laughed as he grabbed a document and put it inside her briefcase. "Vice President Liu will be waiting for you at the office tomorrow. Get these documents to him."

"Mmm, by the way, Su Nan and Ruan Heng's wedding is the day after tomorrow. I picked a set of jewelry out for them and I gave it to them under our name in case I'm alone that day... Are you really going to play golf with Grandpa that day?"

He nodded. "I have something to talk to him about. Attend the wedding with Mother."

"What is it about?" She frowned in doubt as she could tell that something was up.

"You probably guessed it. It's related to the South River project." He placed the briefcase back.

"So, it really is about the South River project... I remember that Qikai and the Han Corporation are interested in this as well. Grandpa mentioned it before, remember? Qikai is pretty capable. Didn't I give you some information on Qikai before? Qikai's Master, Qi Lei, had just taken on the role of the Vice CEO, and he seemed very confident about this project. Did you check them out?"

He was startled for a moment. An obscure light appeared under his eyes and he did not reply as he was in deep thoughts.

"I'm talking to you. Hello?" Xi Xiaye glanced at him and saw the coldness in his quiet eyes unlike the silence from before, which was why she asked.