Han Yifeng's still eyes observed Xi Xinyi. He fell silent for a moment, then finally he suppressed how gloomy and annoyed he felt. He picked up his phone and called Secretary Wang. "I'll get Secretary Wang to book flight tickets for you two. Let him personally send you two abroad and wait till the storm has calmed down here before returning. Don't return to Yueying now. As you said earlier, just retire and quit the showbiz."

"No, Yifeng! I can't leave City Z. Grandmother's already collapsed from being angered by my problem. All these were done by Sister. She's determined to ruin me, Yifeng. I can't leave now. What do I do? What do I do?"

Xi Xinyi reached out to hold Han Yifeng's arm, stopping him. Her face was tearful as she begged, "I'm worried about Grandmother... After all, she only fell sick because of me, Yifeng..."

"Then, what else do you think we can do? Can you suppress these scandals? I'm afraid Yueying has now fallen into deep trouble too!"

"I know, I know that too, but I really can't leave. I can't leave Yueying and Grandmother behind right now. My grandmother is mentally and physically worn out. The company's her life's work... You and Master Qi have a pretty steady relationship. Can we ask them to not cancel those few movies? I'll agree to change the female lead, Yifeng..."

Xi Xinyi begged while choking on her tears, "Sister must've wanted to seize this incident to make Yueying fall into difficulty again. She's always harbored hard feelings towards me. Even though I know that it was I who wronged her, but she forced me. She wants to ruin Yueying! She knows that it's Grandmother's life's work, yet she still..."

"Enough! Xinyi, stop talking!"

As he listened to Xi Xinyi's baseless and extremely contradicting defense, Han Yifeng suddenly could not keep listening. He found it a little hard to accept that this person with whom he had spent numerous good times and shared a bed would be such an unscrupulous woman. If the evidence that Xiaye collected were true, then all these years, he, Han Yifeng had actually been played within her complete control, and he had let her lead him by the nose!

He suddenly felt that he could not accept this truth!

Now, she was still trying hard to defend herself? Had she never thought about how he felt?

"You keep saying that it's for Yueying, for Grandmother... Then, when can you think for me? What about me? How are you going to explain yourself to my parents and my grandfather? Xinyi, if you were willing to listen to me back then and leave the scandalous world of showbiz, then all this wouldn't have happened today! Every time, every single time, I would go along with your wishes and compromise for you, but you've never been considerate about me! And now, you're still thinking about Yueying? Thinking about inheriting Yueying, aren't you?"

Han Yifeng was suddenly enraged. He coldly turned to fix his gaze on Xi Xinyi as his tone turned cold.

"Xinyi, do you not realize that you're a little selfish? What we have between us should be mutually giving in. I've accommodated you many times, yet you've never thought of putting yourself in my shoes and accommodating me just once! I'm a little tired now. If you really want to stay in City Z, then do as you wish!"

As Han Yifeng concluded with this, he stood up icily and his handsome face revealed fatigue that he had kept in for a long time.

Recently because of Xi Xinyi's matter, he was also mentally and physically worn out. He felt extraordinarily exhausted. When he really calmed down to think to himself, he realized that there had actually been more and more distance between him and Xinyi. He did not know when the end would come.

Every time, when they discussed her quitting, he actually wanted to be angry, but seeing the way she pleaded so delicately, he could not bear to. This thing repeated many times until now and it seemed to have reached a point of eruption. He could not hold back in the end.

However, as he thought about these scenes, Xi Xiaye's beautiful face suddenly flashed across his mind. It was as if a very long time ago, when she had still been with him, she had been in his current situation, repeatedly putting up with him, repeatedly compromising, but he...

He finally sympathized and understood her sadness back then. The one who gave out love would always be the one that hurt most easily, yet they kept holding on to that love. Even if they were bruised all over, they still wanted to persist...

As he thought about, he did not know why, but suddenly he felt his heart ache. The stifling feeling suffocated him a little.

If everything had not changed because of that one incident back then, if he had been willing to sincerely accept his grandfather's arrangements and get engaged to Xi Xiaye, would everything be different right now?

Still, he knew that he loved Xi Xinyi. Back then, he seemed to have wanted a love that was pure and simple. Xi Xinyi was charming, gentle and considerate. Furthermore, she brought far more joy than Xi Xiaye who was always by-the-book, apathetic, and dull.

"Yifeng! Don't leave, Yifeng!"

Han Yifeng had just walked past her when Xi Xinyi had already stood up quickly and was flustered as she hugged him tightly from behind. "I'm sorry... This is the last time! Please! This will be the last time, okay?"

Han Yifeng looked down at stared at her hands wrapped around his waist as he said coldly, "Last time? How many times have you said that it'd be the last? Xinyi, I'm tired of hearing these words. If you really do love me as you say, then sacrifice a little for me for once and let Yueying go for now. Leave the scandalous world. When the storm has calmed, then we'll make plans again."

"This will really be the last time. I'm begging you, Yifeng! After this time..." Xi Xinyi sniffed in her voice that was raspy from the crying.

Yet, before she could finish, Han Yifeng had already coolly pulled her hands away and stormed off in huge strides. "There's no last time. This time, I insist. If you're willing to consider, then accept my arrangements. Otherwise, let's separate for a while to figure things out!" Han Yifeng concluded indifferently and then took a deep breath, feeling worn out. He did not care about Xi Xinyi behind him anymore and walked up the stairs.

"Yifeng! Don't! Yifeng, listen to me! This will really be the last time! Don't do this to me, Yifeng!" Xi Xinyi tearfully chased him, and she wanted to tug on Han Yifeng's hand, yet he just leaned to one side and evaded her. In turn, Xi Xinyi missed him.

"I want to be alone for a while. I'll wait for your answer tomorrow. I'll tell Secretary Wang to book a flight for San Francisco tomorrow. However you choose, I will respect your decision."

"No, Yifeng, don't force me to choose. Please don't do this! Yifeng!"

No matter how Xi Xinyi wept and screamed, Han Yifeng did not pay her any attention. His stiff figure vanished at the top of the stairs very quickly.

Xi Xinyi cried until both her eyes swelled. She lifted a hand to cover her face as she watched Han Yifeng disappear, leaving behind an empty staircase. Some time had passed before she turned to leave in a daze.

However, just as she stepped out of Han Yifeng's villa, her red eyes suddenly flashed with a coldness. Her face was gloomy as the sky before a storm and she whipped her phone out to swiftly made a call.

...

On the other end, Han Yifeng had booked Xi Xinyi a flight ticket at 9 a.m. the next day to San Francisco. When Secretary Wang delivered the San Francisco villa keys to West Park, he saw a huge group of reporters outside, so he entered from the back door.

Secretary Wang handed the keys to Xi Xinyi as he said in a heavy tone, "Miss Xinyi, these are the keys to the villa in San Francisco that CEO Han is handing to you. We've already prepared everything over there. CEO Han would like you to stay there for a period of time until things subside here before you return. He has called Miss Shanshan, and she'll accompany you to go over tomorrow. Just treat it as a relaxing vacation! CEO Han will send someone to fetch you tomorrow. He also told me to pass you a message that he hopes that you can think about him... If you can't let go of Yueying, he will help you out one last time for the sake of friendship, Miss Xinyi, but..."

Xi Xinyi felt herself stiffen. Gaping stunned at the keys that Secretary Wang handed her, her face was exceptionally pale with mixed emotions. She did not reach out to take the keys for a long while.

When Secretary Wang saw her reaction, he breathed in and then put the keys onto the table beside Xi Xinyi. "Miss Xinyi, actually, CEO Han has been completely worn out mentally and physically over your issues recently. I really hope that you can consider it for his sake. It's not easy to have reached this stage. CEO Han says he's very tired..."

"I'll go back now and I'll leave the keys here. I hope that I'll see you at the airport tomorrow morning at half-past 8 in the evening. Miss Shanshan and I will be waiting for you there!" Secretary Wang confirmed before turning to leave the room.

Bam!

When she heard the door close, Xi Xinyi snapped back to her senses. She stared at the keys before her and her eyes instantly shifted as she clenched her hands into fists. Her face struggled with indecision.

Han Yifeng was forcing her to choose!

Him or Yueying?

In such a period of turmoil, Grandmother had already decided to let her take over Yueying. If she could pull Qi Kai and the Han Corporation in, then all those shareholders would have to give in to her. Xi Xiaye could forget about taking advantage of this loophole in Yueying. Furthermore, she might even beat Xi Xiaye. However, if she just left Yueying behind, how would she know if those shareholders would rebel? When that happened, they might even need to choose a new CEO under pressure...

How can she just give up at such a time?

Xi Xinyi hesitated.

...

It seemed as if this was within Han Yifeng's expectations. When she received Secretary Wang's call after 9 p.m., he could not hold back the bitter smile on his face.

"CEO Han, Miss Shanshan and I kept waiting for Miss Xinyi here. Sadly, she didn't come and the flight has taken off..." Secretary Wang's tone was heavy on the other end as he revealed disappointment that could not be disguised.

He hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "CEO Han, how about we book the next flight out? Miss Shanshan and I can personally pick her up."

Sitting before his desk, Han Yifeng sighed. Then, he chuckled a little pained and disappointedly before he said indifferently, "No need. I know what her answer will be. How about you two come back first? Right, please tell Shanshan to come to me."

"Miss Shanshan is right beside me, CEO Han. I'll let her answer the phone," Secretary Wang answered from the other end.

"Cousin?"

Huang Shanshan's voice sounded down. "I'm sorry. I didn't think that Xinyi, she... I've always treated her like my best friend, my own sister. I don't want to argue for the sake of what friendship we had, but unexpectedly..."

"It's okay. Come over first. I have some things to say to you," Han Yifeng said, then he hung up and shut his eyes, feeling exhausted.

...

The storm did not pass as easily as they thought. When Xi Xiaye received Su Nan's foul-mouthed call, she realized that Xi Xinyi had still disclosed everything. In fact, the news had spread so fast that she could not stop them in time.

Her slender fingers slid across the tablet screen. Under Glory World Corporation's official network, there were already a bunch of mean discussions and they were all about her!

'The inside story of Glory World's female director Xi Xiaye?'

'The truth about Xi Xiaye getting expelled from the military academy?'

'Xi Xiaye stealing...'

All of the unbearable headlines were incredibly eye-grabbing and harsh. She flipped open her Weibo and saw that there was already a war of words underneath. There were even questioning words...

Her beautiful face darkened a little as a sharp coldness flashed in her eyes. She could already guess who had disclosed all of these and had even hired a huge group of trolls to curse and attack her online with words.

Xi Xinyi was really pushed to the edge this time. She knew that she had something to do with this incident, yet she had still recklessly make this information public. Was she so sure that she would not be able to get hold of evidence?

She breathed in. Even though there was a melancholic sorrow that she could not suppress in her chest, she did not suffer as she had back then. Now, she could only patiently wait for the news from Detective Zhang.

She massaged the space between her brows. All of a sudden, the tablet in her hand was taken away by a slender hand. She subconciously looked up and noticed that the man had suddenly appeared by her side.

He looked down at the news on the tablet and his handsome face darkened. His eyes flashed with a shadow that could not be disguised. He turned to her, his tone calm as usual, yet it held a hint of coldness. "Her again?"

Xi Xiaye frowned. She hesitated before saying, "Who would've so much hatred for me?"

Then, she suddenly stood up from the sofa slowly. She walked to the table to pour herself some water and drank a few gulps before continuing, "She won't let go of me so easily, but that's good too. The hole that she dug herself would naturally be to bury herself too."

"Have you thought of a plan already?" Mu Yuchen asked softly, setting the tablet aside.

Xi Xiaye inhaled and did not answer. She just drank another gulp of water and poured him a glass as well. She sat down leaning beside him and said, "Previously, I've been getting someone to investigate it. It's been so long and it's hard to get hold of any evidence. In fact, you know what I'm worried about..."

"Worried about your father, aren't you?" He easily knew the answer.

Xi Xiaye nodded. "You know, once this matter is exposed, Father will be implicated too. Back then, it was him who erased the criminal records for me. I never would've thought that Xi Xinyi would..."

She did not continue, but Mu Yuchen naturally understood what she meant.

Then, Xi Xiaye said determinedly, "So, we must investigate this matter properly. No matter how hard it is, I can't let go." She could not just keep bearing this accusation. Now, she was afraid that back at the company it would be abuzz with this.

He did not answer, but his gaze dimmed. After a while, he drank his water and his long fingers caressed the glass.

"How about you stay at home tomorrow?" He suddenly looked up and asked.

Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while, then she shook her head. Her expression was calm as she answered, "If I don't go, wouldn't it mean that I've confirmed the accusations? In fact, I can't keep hiding. I believe that one day, the truth will come to light."

As Mu Yuchen listened, he looked thoughtfully at her for a long while, then he inhaled, nodding gently. He said a little gladly, "Missus, why have I suddenly realized that you seem to have matured quite a bit in the past few days?"

She immediately rolled her eyes at him, pursing her pink, rosebud-like lips. "Don't keep pretending to be the adult. You're not my older brother or my father, so why do you keep lecturing me? You're just a few years older than me. How annoying!"

He did not defend himself. Instead, he chuckled and teased, "Yesterday, you said I was good. How have I become annoying today? Are all you women so fickle?"

"I am me. I can't represent all the women of the world, so you can't just generalize." Xi Xiaye glared at him, and before he could finish, she had already refuted him. Her eyes shifted as she suddenly thought about Yueying's matter. "Father says that Xi Xinyi might be taking over Yueying. She unexpectedly didn't leave to seek refuge which is pretty bold."

"You should say that she has huge ambitions. You don't have to care about matters over there. Leave it to VP Liu. Now, you just have to perfect your South River project proposal. In the middle of next month, we'll wait for the government's decision. The bidding process will probably be in the last week of the next month. We'll know the exact date in another few days, so all the work needs to be done ahead of time. I'll be going to survey with them in the next few days. Come along and see if there are any other problems. Then, we'll have to hand in the papers along with the proposal you have," he said calmly, setting his cup aside.

Xi Xiaye nodded. "Mmm, don't worry. Now, all of the work is on track. In fact, it's actually almost done."

The reason they could finish so quickly was also that of his help. Otherwise, she would probably only be done with half of it.

"About all those rumors..." He still could not help but look at her with concern as he listened. Xi Xiaye slowly lowered her gaze. She fell silent for a moment, then tightened her fists. Breathing in lightly, she nodded and said, "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Don't worry. Maybe when the truth comes to light, they'll even have to give you a public apology."

"All those don't matter. I just want to prove my innocence. I don't want to cause an uproar because of all the things in the past, and even implicate others."

She could not help but sigh and lament, "Sometimes, wanting to live a few days of peace seems to be a kind of luxury."

As he listened, he could not help but laugh. "How much of a storm is this? We should be grateful that we're not living in war times, though fighting and scheming between people might not be easier than fighting in a war. I can understand how you feel too."

When she heard this, she did not say anything. Instead, she lowered her head silently.

At work the next day, as expected, Xi Xiaye received all sorts of weird looks from fellow colleagues on the way to work. The people who interacted with her were obviously clear-sighted, while those who stayed away looked on with doubt.

To say that she was not affected at all would be a lie, especially when she heard all of them secretly discussing her. In fact, when she logged onto Weibo, she noticed that under the official Weibo feed, the news had been blocked. She did not seem to see any negative news about her in the newspapers today either.

She breathed in and relaxed in her chair, staring plainly at the screen that had already turned blank while an indescribable warmth crossed her heart.

He had quietly handled it all for her!

...

Mu Yuchen did not go straight to the office this morning. Instead, he made a trip to Mu Tangchuan. There seemed to be some sort of emergency, and when he was done and went back to the office, it was already afternoon.

When they walked to the elevator, Li Si suddenly asked, "Chairman Mu, don't you want to have lunch first?"

"No need. Please send the details to VP Wen," Mu Yuchen said and walked towards the elevator. However, just as he was about to enter, he heard several employees who were waiting for the elevator, whispering.

"Do you think the thing about Director Xi is true? Even our Glory World official Weibo blocked it!"

"I don't think so. Director Xi doesn't seem like that kind of person."