When Xi Xiaye arrived at the bottom of the building, there was still a large group of reporters trying to force their way inside Yueying. The Yueying security guards used up all their forces and could barely hold them back.

She did not halt in her steps as she walked through and stopped at the car beside the crowd.

"Director Xi, are we going straight back to the company?" Xiao Mei asked carefully as Xi Xiaye's expression seemed cold. She seemed to be even cooler than her usual self.

Xi Xiaye opened the door and sat inside. Buckling up, she said, "Help me send this to the Han Corporation first, and then send the document back to the PR Department."

She then handed a thick leather-bound envelope to Xiao Mei.

Xiao Mei closed the door and took the item from her. Studying it in doubt, she was then surprised to see the address printed on it. As she was about to ask Xi Xiaye something, she changed her mind after she saw Xi Xiaye's cold face.

Director Xi never liked people discussing her private life, and earlier, she seemed to have had a glimpse of it. Actually, after being by her side for so many years, Xiao Mei had never seen this side of her. Apart from being more headstrong when facing other competitors, she was usually easygoing and gentle.

"Got it, Director!" Xiao Mei replied and then kept the envelope.

...

It was near evening. The sky was turning dark and rain was expected to come soon although the wet roads from the morning were now dried up.

After dropping Xiao Mei off, Xi Xiaye left.

...

Traveling on the road, Xi Xiaye did not really feel right inside.

Mr. Mu had helped her a lot in this matter, so she felt that she needed to thank him properly and with something instant too.

After a while, she had no idea how to thank him. A gift? Flowers? She did not really know what he liked.

She parked her car at a temporary spot and had some quiet time to herself. After that, she grabbed her phone and sent him a message.

Mr. Mu, what do you like?

He was discussing with partnering companies when he received her message. When he took out his phone and saw her one-liner, his face suddenly softened.

Was this girl that free now to find out about him?

He smiled and then replied: I'll tell you at night.

She replied: Can't you tell me now?

I'm busy now. I'll cook you some nice food tonight.

Oh... I want to treat you to a meal tonight...

Sure.

After that, I want to treat you to a movie too.

Mmm.

I'll go first and tell you the location later.

...

It was the first time Li Si saw Mu Yuchen use his phone when he was at work. He did not even notice when CEO Lu called out to him. After a while, he put his phone aside and his usual calmness returned to his face.

"Master, CEO Lu said..."

"Chairman Mu, can you consider our company's proposal?" The middle-aged man spoke up as soon as he saw Mu Yuchen's attention return.

He sipped some tea as he flipped through the document in his hand. "CEO Lu, I'm just a businessman that focuses on the end results. I don't really mind the process. You just have to focus on your current project. We'll definitely give you a chance if you provide us with satisfactory results. It all just depends on you."

The middle-aged man seemed grateful. "Thank you, Chairman Mu. We'll do our best to achieve perfection!"

Mu Yuchen nodded and closed the folder in his hand., "Mmm, I'm confident in both you and your company. We'll stop here today. Look for Vice President Wen if you need anything else."

"Okay, thank you, Chairman Mu!"

...

Xi Xiaye was thinking hard on her own since she did not get an answer from Mu Yuchen. Without realizing it, she had driven to the New Era Plaza.

It was pretty crowded at night. There were people dancing in the public square and the streetlamps were already lit up at 5.30 p.m. since the sky had turned pretty dark. The dim lights shrouded the whole square with a hazy vibe.

Xi Xiaye got down, locked her car, and then went towards the busy streets.

...

At the same time, inside the CEO office of the Han Corporation.

Han Yifeng, who had just returned from City C, was now sitting in front of his table. He was looking at the entertainment news on his screen with a hardened expression as if he was shrouded in ice. He seemed really scary and Secretary Wang beside him shivered a little.

In the few days that CEO Han had left City Z, chaos had ensued. As the orphanage matter was still a popular topic, there was no turning back for Ms. Xinyi now with what had just happened.

Pa!

Han Yifeng slammed the mouse down, seeming all gloomy. Secretary Wang was shocked.

"CEO Han, someone's probably defaming Ms. Xinyi on purpose. I've heard that Ms. Xinyi was attacked the moment she walked out of the hotel, and these incidents..." Secretary Wang tried to explain.

"Just what happened? I remember I wanted you to tell her to appear less in public. What exactly did you tell her?" Han Yifeng glared at Secretary Wang coldly.

"CEO Han, Ms. Xinyi said it was the wedding of Ms. Su Nan and Mr. Ruan Heng, so she wanted to wish them in person. She was just trying to be nice. Unexpectedly, they ran into Ms. Xiaye and things escalated quickly," Secretary Wang explained.

Han Yifeng's eyes darkened and a cold light flashed through his pupils. "Xiaye? How is she related to this?"

"No, CEO Han... It's not related to Ms. Xiaye. Yu Lingling exposed that Ms. Xiaye was expelled from the military academy, and Ms. Xiaye... She left before the banquet ended. Ms. Su Nan thought that Ms. Xinyi..."

Secretary Wang did not continue because he noticed Han Yifeng's face getting colder and colder. He could feel the chill even though he was standing quite a distance away from him.

"About Xiaye getting expelled from military school? Wasn't this matter erased? How did they find out?" Han Yifeng demanded.

Secretary Wang shook his head. "Maybe they found out after talking to their friends. What should we do now, CEO Han? Ms. Xinyi has called you many times, and Yueying is now flooded with reporters. I also heard that all of Ms. Xinyi's films are being halted. Her lead roles in several big films have been removed as well. She gave me a call just now..."

Before Secretary Wang could finish, someone knocked on the door.

"CEO Han, a girl said she's the assistant of Director Xi from Glory World and she brought a letter for you. Would you like to take a look?"

The female personal assistant put a thick envelope right on Han Yifeng's table.

Director Xi from Glory World?

Xi Xiaye?

Han Yifeng squinted his eyes and then picked the envelope up. He opened it and took out the document inside. There was a very thick pile of it, so he flipped through them slowly.

After just reading several pages, his expression darkened quickly. Everything listed inside was about all the bad deeds Xi Xinyi had done, including the incident when she had been stabbed many years ago as well as the disappearance of Huang Shanshan's necklace, and many others...

He studied the documents with darkened eyes. Soon, he grasped the documents tightly as his breathing became short and his aloof face seemed pale.

Impossible!

This word flashed through his mind.

However, the clarification letter that was written by Xi Xinyi brutally reminded him that all of these were true. It was not a forgery at all!

Bang!

Just as he was about to grab the coffee beside him, in a flash, the freshly-made coffee was now spilled all over the floor along with the broken glass.

He then suddenly remembered that it seemed...

The information that someone had sent to his email before was all true...

Naturally, he had not believed it when he first received it. Due to the recent stress, he wanted to take a break during his trip abroad this time around in order to reorganize his thoughts. However, in just two days, a disastrous wave had landed upon him.

Xi Xinyi...

So, she had been lying to him all these years?

Han Yifeng's expression changed slightly. Unable to believe it, his whole body froze on his chair as he did not move an inch as if the whole world had gone quiet.

"CEO Han? CEO Han? Are you okay?" Secretary Wang seemed a little worried upon seeing Han Yifeng.

Han Yifeng's mind went blank for a moment. He stared at Secretary Wang blankly when he called out to him. After a while, he signaled for them to leave.

Secretary Wang traded glances with the female personal assistant out of confusion. They left anxiously. After that, Secretary Wang gave Xi Xinyi a call out of concern.

The office became quiet again after they left. It was so quiet that it was difficult to breathe. He could feel a pain stemming from deep inside every time he inhaled. That pain was usually subtle, but it was amplified several times stronger every time he quieted himself down.

After some time, he took a deep breath before roughly pushing the thick pile of papers away. They scattered everywhere and covered the whole office.

He lit up a cigarette and let out a big puff, using up almost all his energy just to force himself to stand up.

Going towards the large window and grabbing onto the curtain tightly, he looked at the city lights outside. For some reason, all he could think of now was not Xi Xinyi's bad deeds or all the lying she had done. Instead, he was reminded of Xi Xiaye's pretty little face under the streetlights.

"Happy birthday. I'm not going to give you a lot of gifts in the future because I'm worried that you might not value my gifts that much anymore if I give them too frequently, so I'm only giving you gifts on your birthday. I'll head back for now. Get some rest soon."

"Yifeng, I don't know who you've ever liked or who liked you all these years, but are you willing to hold your promise onto the marriage contract if I asked you to?"

...

Now that she had sent these things to him, was it...

These past memories were supposed to be hazy, yet they became crystal clear at this moment, and he felt extremely horrible.

Bang! The door was suddenly slammed open as the clacking of high heels on the floor came close.

Xi Xinyi panicked when she saw all the papers on the floor. Her pale, white face became anxious, and she could not control her tears anymore when she saw Han Yifeng standing beside the large window facing outside. She rushed over and hugged Han Yifeng from the back as she cried.

"Yifeng, where have you been? Why is your phone always switched off? I'm really scared and I don't know what to do now... Sister did this on purpose. She put me into this difficult situation. What should I do now, Yifeng?"

She cried uncontrollably, her tears soon soaking his shirt.

Still, Han Yifeng did not do or say anything and just let her hug him.

"Yifeng..." Xi Xinyi called out to his name as she sobbed.

"Shouldn't you explain to me about what happened first? Are these the truth?" After some time, Han Yifeng's disappointed tone reached her.

Xi Xinyi was stunned as she suddenly held onto Han Yifeng with all her might as she continued crying, "No, Yifeng, I... I just really love you... but at that time, you only saw Sister. It was... too much suffering for me. I just want you, Yifeng. I can lose everything but you. Please don't leave me now... Please..."

Xi Xinyi was sobbing so badly that she was almost out of breath. She stuttered and her usual elegant self was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her current self looked absolutely pathetic.

"So, because of your so-called love for me, you did all this to get me?"

Han Yifeng turned around and looked at Xi Xinyi who had tears all over her face. He frowned in anguish.

Xi Xinyi covered her face with both hands and cried out loud, "I didn't. I didn't... but I didn't have any other choice, Yifeng. If I didn't fight for you, you'd be with Sister already. Grandfather planned to get Sister to be engaged to you at 15 years old. I really love you. I've been longing to know more about you since the first time we met, so I... Everyone has the right to fight for their love. I..."

Xi Xinyi choked on her sobs, her pale and haggard little face appearing very pitiful. Han Yifeng fixed his eyes on her, yet his gaze was cold.

He vaguely recalled that Xi Xinyi was indeed telling the truth. When Xi Xiaye was 15 years old, Xi Jiyang and Elder Han had asked for him and Xi Xiaye to get engaged first, and then wait till Xi Xiaye was 20 years old before settling their marriage.

While he had always only treated Xi Xiaye as a younger sister back then, he had been conflicted about the engagement as well. After that...

If it were not for the incident when Xi Xinyi was stabbed, would he have already been engaged to Xi Xiaye and probably married by now?

It seemed as if that incident was a turning point for many things.

Han Yifeng felt something indescribable swell in his heart. After a long while, he then closed his eyes and breathed in a little disappointedly and frustratedly. He turned around casually, pulling Xi Xinyi's hand that hugged him by the waist away, and walked towards his desk.

His tone was low as he said, "I want to be alone for a while. Go home first. I'll try my best to handle this matter. Go home and pack your bags. I'll ask Shanshan to accompany you to lie low abroad."

"Yifeng, I really need you right now. I..." Xi Xinyi cried until her voice was hoarse and her eyes were red and tearful as she looked at Han Yifeng.

Han Yifeng just pressed a button on his phone to say, "Secretary Wang, come in and send Xinyi back first." Then, Secretary Wang came in very quickly.

Xi Xinyi's cheeks were streaming with tears. Dejected, she looked at Han Yifeng who had already turned back to look at his laptop screen. Suddenly, she did not say anything further and turned to walk outside.

...

Mu Yuchen followed the address Xi Xiaye sent, and when he arrived, she had already waited for a long time. What surprised him was that the newlyweds, Ruan Heng and Su Nan were there too. The location they had chosen was a hotpot restaurant which looked pretty tantalizing.

"Why did you take so long?"

He had just reached the table when Xi Xiaye, who had been waiting for a long time, could not help but complain. As she put his windbreaker on the stool on the side, she moved aside to vacate a spot for him, and then handed him a set of clean cutlery.

"Isn't there a lot of traffic on the roads?"

He sat near her.

Across them, Su Nan's eyes lit up when she saw Mu Yuchen and she immediately laughed. "Master Mu, thank you for your huge red packet yesterday. Last night, I almost couldn't fall asleep after getting back, but what was even more delightful was Xi Xinyi being exposed..."

Mu Yuchen just nodded and said humbly, "Congratulations on your wedding."

"Actually, it was fun for all of us. Master Mu, when are you and Xiaye going to have your wedding? I think Xiaye said yesterday that she likes a seaside wedding. Oh, imagine that moment, underneath the setting sun, on the soft beach, facing the sea with such a sense of belonging... Just imagining it is a kind of happiness... If I had known that, I'd have had a seaside wedding too... Ah! Why are you kicking me?"

Su Nan had not finished when Xi Xiaye had already kicked her from across and glared at her.

Mu Yuchen almost instantly turned to the little woman beside her. He did not miss the way she quickly retrieved her leg. When she realized that he was looking at her, her delicate little face instantly blushed too. She cleared her throat before taking a gulp of her fruit juice.

"The food's ready. Let's eat!" Ruan Heng said. It was only then that Su Nan picked up her chopsticks and shot Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye a sidelong look before chuckling to herself.

"Eat your food. Why are you looking at me?" She conveniently scooped a huge ladle of food and stuffed it into his bowl, glancing at him embarrassed

"You didn't want to tell me when I asked you. The person marrying you is me," he softly said and then calmly took the wet handkerchief to wipe his hands.

"Master Mu, do you want to have a drink or two? Ruan Heng can drink with you."

Su Nan suddenly looked up at him, yet before she could extend a glass to him, Xi Xiaye had already spoken up from the side, "He won't drink. He has to drive later."

He had probably drunk a lot with Grandfather and his group of old friends. That morning, he still looked like he had a slight headache, so she just helped him reject.

"Look at the way you're so worried! A few drinks will be fine!" Su Nan rolled her eyes at Xi Xiaye to tease her.

Ruan Heng shook his head and looked at Su Nan as he said a little helplessly, "You'd better watch out for yourself. Every time we gather, you're always going home drunk. Master Mu, please don't mind her..."

...

Over the course of the meal, he did not seem to eat much. Xi Xiaye noticed that the man was probably not used to eating hotpot with them. After all, someone like him was probably more used to higher-end restaurants.

She was a little annoyed at herself for not being more considerate.

However, Ruan Heng and Su Nan were grazing happily. Since the three of them always came out to gather anyway, the few of them ate and chatted happily.

When they left the hotpot restaurant, it was lively outside. Ruan Heng and Su Nan left first. Then, Xi Xiaye then took out two movie tickets and said that she wanted him to watch a movie with her.

While he was shocked that the movie she had chosen was one that had been recently released in theatres, he took note that this horror movie was one with quite a lot of rave reviews too.

Xi Xiaye obviously would not tell him that these movie tickets had been mischieviously bought by Su Nan. According to her unique dating experience, lovers who watched horror movies together once in a while could enhance a relationship because usually, this would trigger the man's need to protect the girl, instantly satisfying their male chauvinism.

However, this trick was not suitable for Xi Xiaye at all because not even halfway through the movie, she already could not hold back her sleepiness. She leaned on Mu Yuchen's shoulder and fell asleep...

She was awoken by Mu Yuchen only went the movie had ended. Rubbing her eyes in a daze, she got up slowly. She complained that the movie was too boring and that she would not come anymore.

At the moment, it was already quite late and there were fewer people hanging around the plaza. When they walked to the side of the plaza, they could still see that some small hawkers were working hard. The air was floating with the faint aroma of chestnuts roasted with sugar.

The two of them walked side by side without so much of a word. With his windbreaker on her shoulder, she reached out to tug at his long fingers.