Her genuine expression made him feel warm inside and his heart softened for her.

It was the first time someone said they would protect him, and this was coming from a frail little woman he had to constantly worry about.

He smiled, an odd light flashing in his eyes before he held her in his arms and said quietly, "Thank you, Xiaye. How I wish that I could have met you earlier. I wouldn't have needed to waste so much time before..."

Stunned, she raised her eyebrows and looked at him as she stammered "Mr. Mu, judging from your words... Could it be... Am I... I'm that to you?"

"That?" He asked back.

"Am I... your... first love?" She looked at him carefully and asked with a quiet tone.

Mu Yuchen took a pause, his dark eyes shooting her a meaningful glance. Instead of answering her, he turned his head away and barked out several coughs.

"So, am I?" She was persistent in getting her answer this time. "Am I? Am I... Mmm!"

In the end, instead of replying her, he kissed her passionately. How would Xi Xiaye still remember her question at this point?

She drowned in his breathy kisses for a long time. He picked her up effortlessly and they went back into the bedroom to continue sleeping.

However, they were both not really sleepy. They started chatting on the bed instead, talking about all sorts of topics, mostly consisting of Xi Xiaye firing questions and Mr. Mu answering them. For example —

She asked, "Mr. Mu, what colors do you like?"

He replied, "Black and white."

...

She ranted, "Mr. Mu, do you still remember the Deputy Head of Department Wei? I heard he's the Deputy Headmaster now. He caught both me and Su Nan so many times in the past."

He gave it some thought before replying, "That fatty with the glasses? The one handling student recruitment now?"

"Mmm, I saw him a few days ago at the New Era Plaza. I almost couldn't recognize him. I'm sure you didn't know his lover is our... Mu Yuchen? Are you asleep? Hello...?"

...

The next morning, it was nearly 10 a.m. when she woke up. After Xi Xiaye washed up and went downstairs, Mu Yuchen had already prepared breakfast.

They went to University A after a light breakfast. Shen Wenna called them beforehand and said she had bought the ingredients and wanted them to head over earlier.

Shen Wenna's hostel in University A consisted of two rooms and a living room. While it was a decade-old house, it was decorated comfortably. She would usually stay there when work piled up.

When Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen arrived, several students were talking to Shen Wenna about their thesis, so the couple took on the job of preparing lunch.

When the students saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, they addressed them as "Sis Xiaye" and "brother-in-law". It was really music to Mu Yuchen ears, and he even invited them to stay for lunch before heading back, but the students were shy and quickly left after their discussion. They did not want to bother them.

"Mother, set your things aside. Lunch is going to be ready soon," Xi Xiaye said to her mother as she was coming out of the kitchen with a dish in her hands. Shen Wenna was still busy working in her study room.

Shen Wenna nodded, quickly packing her things before walking out of the study room.

"I thought you were only guiding thesis students now. Why do you still have these big stacks of assignments?" Xi Xiaye put the dish on the table as she asked.

"Teacher Zhang in the department went overseas for a course on short notice, so I'm replacing him for a semester," Shen Wenna replied indifferently. Before she could finish, Xi Xiaye's phone started ringing in her shirt pocket. She looked at it and saw that it was her father, Xi Mushan!

Xi Xiaye unconsciously glanced over at Shen Wenna's direction. Naturally, she saw her slightly darkened eyes. As she was hesitating whether to pick up the call or not, Shen Wenna spoke, "Pick it up. I'm going to take a look in the kitchen." She swiftly disappeared into the kitchen.

Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and her expression turned complicated. She only picked up the call after a while.

"Hello, Father?"

"Mmm, it's me, Xiaye." Xi Mushan's deep voice reached her ears. "I know you're at your mother's place. Can you come down for a moment? Help me pass something to your mother. I'm right downstairs."

Downstairs?

Startled, Xi Xiaye walked over the the window and raised the curtain. She then saw Xi Mushan standing right under the tree opposite the house in his usual suit.

After staying quiet for a while, Xi Xiaye turned back to the kitchen. She could hear Shen Wenna and Mu Yuchen talking. Upon debating internally for some time, she grabbed the keys and went downstairs quietly.

As she walked down from the staircase, Xi Mushan was standing right there. He seemed much skinnier than before and the serious vibes around him were much weaker. He seemed quiet, dead quiet.

"Didn't Mother ask you to not come?" Xi Xiaye stopped right beside him and looked at him with a complicated gaze.

It was the Peach Blossom Festival at University A tomorrow. Xi Mushan would send Shen Wenna gifts every year on this day. Xi Xiaye also knew that today was their wedding anniversary.

Xi Mushan did not reply to her. He just looked at Xi Xiaye in the eyes silently as he handed a bag to her. "Please hand it to her for me."

After giving it some thought, Xi Xiaye did not take the bag. She looked at Xi Mushan and asked him a question instead, "Mother is just upstairs. Why don't you give it to her yourself?"

Xi Mushan stayed quiet. After a while, he sighed before stuffing the bag into Xi Xiaye's hands. He seemed defeated. "She doesn't want to see me... I don't want to ruin her mood either."

"You can go back now. Help me pass her the items. I'll be leaving now."

Xi Mushan's eyes darkened as he looked at Xi Xiaye. He did not want to say anything else, so he turned around and left.

Xi Xiaye wanted to call out to him. However, the words could not come out of her mouth.

She thought he might ask her about Xi Xinyi's matter, yet he was just here to give her mother something.

At the same time, she had no idea how to phrase it well. Since a very long time ago, he had no more relationship with her mother. Apart from being connected by a daughter they conceived together, they did not seem to be related anymore.

Xi Xiaye stood under the tree and watched Xi Mushan gradually move further away. Suddenly, a lump formed in her throat. She only managed to push the feeling back with a ton of effort.

She looked down at the gift in her hand. Without needing to open it, she already knew what Xi Mushan had given her mother: a peach blossom hairpin!

Shen Wenna loved peach blossom hairpins. She collected tens of them in her drawer, but she had never let her daughter see them. However, Xi Xiaye unintentionally discovered them when she helped her pack up.

She also knew that of all those peach blossom hairpins were mostly gifts from Father to Mother.

She remained silent for a very, very long time before she turned to walk up the staircase with the gift in her hand. When she returned to the room, the dishes were already prepared and they were waiting for her to begin eating.

"Where did you go?" Mu Yuchen handed her a handkerchief.

Xi Xiaye tightened her grip on the paper bag in hand. Glancing at Mu Yuchen, she then looked at Shen Wenna beside him. Then, she hesitated before handing the gift over. "Father gave this to you. He was afraid that you wouldn't be happy, so he didn't come up..."

Startled, Shen Wenna looked up at Xi Xiaye for a long time. Then, she stared indifferently at the gift in front of her and said in a calm tone, "I remember telling you not to send his gifts over."

"Mother, I'm just..."

"If ever there's a next time, tell him to take it back with him," Shen Wenna said coldly. She took the gift and casually set it aside. "Let's eat."

Xi Xiaye did not mind. Last time, she seemed to have said this too, so...

"Sit." Mu Yuchen did not say anything either. He just pulled a chair out for Xi Xiaye and whispered softly into her ear, "Next time, be frank. Just bring him up."

Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She ignored him and picked up her bowl to get some soup.

Throughout the meal, Shen Wenna seemed to eat without tasting the food. She only had a few bites before she declared that she was done. She left her seat early and went to the study room, seeming very lonely.

When she heard the study room door shut, Xi Xiaye sighed sorrowfully. She looked to Mu Yuchen and said, "Don't take offense. Whenever it's this time of the year, Mother will be like this."

As she said this, she put the chopsticks in her hand down and stared at the paper bag. Finally, she reached out to open it and very quickly took a delicate box out. She casually opened it.

Inside lay an exquisite, blush-colored peach blossom hairpin. The light-colored petals enveloped the light tassels. It was very beautiful and very worthy of a second look.

"I'll go take a look at her. You eat first."

Then, she took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the peach blossom hairpin before quickly getting up and making her way to the study room.

At this moment, Shen Wenna, who was in the study room, was sitting quietly before her study table, looking out of the window past the muslin curtains without a word.

"Mother..."

Xi Xiaye reached Shen Wenna's sides in a few steps. She handed the hairpin to her. "This year's hairpin seems to be prettier than last year's..."

Shen Wenna turned to look at Xi Xiaye. A while after that, her gaze then moved down to the hairpin she handed her. Breathing in, she slowly took it.

"It's all already in the past. What's the point of sending these gifts?" Shen Wenna's slightly raspy voice rang out. One could vaguely hear the sadness in it. "He's forever so self-righteous... Still thinking that I'm still the same as I was!"

"Mother, if you really can't forget Father, can we...?"

"Who says I can't forget him? He's so sure that I won't be able to let him, is he? He, Xi Mushan, is so sure that I, Shen Wenna, wouldn't be able to live without him in this lifetime, eh?"

Before Xi Xiaye could finish, Shen Wenna's expression suddenly tensed up and she tightened her grip onto the hairpin in her hand. "The oath of eternal love we once had has now all become a preposterous joke because of his betrayal. Does he think I'd forgive him just like that? Impossible! Xiaye, I'm telling you, I'll never forgive him!"

Shen Wenna was suddenly very emotional. Her whole body trembled as her clear eyes revealed sparkles of tears that she had long endured. The scar that had fallen silent in her heart was brought back up to the surface again. It was so painful that she felt like she was suffocating.

"Back then, I gave up on everything. For him, I even severed ties with your grandfather. We were self-indulgent and unruly with our love... and then, in the end, I still had to pay a heavy price for this unruly banishment. Xiaye, I haven't been willing to tell you about my unbearable past because I hope that you won't know about all these ugly things... because you don't need to be burdened by these. I hope that you won't be affected by my misfortune too. I just want you to know that even though your father and I are divorced, we still care about you as we always did. That is all. Do you understand?"

When she said this, Shen Wenna suddenly inhaled and suppressed the emotions that she was about to divulge. She paused for a moment, then continued, "I'm afraid your father and I will never be able to go back to how we were. I know that you've been holding onto a sliver of hope for us, but I'm telling you that there's no way."

"Why not? If Yue Lingsi can steal Father from you, can't you get him back? Why can Xi Xinyi justifiably hog Father's love, hog the fancy of Grandfather and Grandmother, while I'm left with nothing?"

Xi Xiaye suddenly could not stop herself from self-mockery as she said, "Do you know that every time, every single time Xi Xinyi spread rumors about me, I'd ask why? When bullied, she can go looking for Grandfather, Grandmother, and her parents. And me? Who can I go to?"

As Xi Xiaye burst out about this, Shen Wenna instantly turned pale. Her hand that held the hairpin started to tremble slightly.

"I'm sorry. Consider it a slip of the tongue..."

When Xi Xiaye saw Shen Wenna's expression darken, she felt her heart ache. With a deep breath, she pushed all of the bitterness in her throat back, then she said slowly, "I'm not blaming you for anything. I've already gotten used to it all these years anyway... When I see someone else's harmonious family, I just feel a little envious. That's all..."

"I've always respected you, Mother, and I've always been proud of having a mother like you, but I hope that you can be braver for the things that you should fight for. You should... You and Father aren't young anymore..." Xi Xiaye lamented.

Actually, for a long time, she had not dared to tell Shen Wenna that she hoped she could help her get her father back. She wanted to give Shen Wenna the courage as well, but at that time, she did not even have the courage herself, so how could she offer it to Shen Wenna?

Shen Wenna did not say anything. She just watched Xi Xiaye silently, the hairpin clutched tightly in her hand. Xi Xiaye could seem to see her struggle in her eyes.

Xi Xiaye watched Shen Wenna who had fallen silent for a long time. Finally, she did not say anything anymore and turned to leave the study room.

Outside, Mu Yuchen had already kept all the dishes away and was watching the television on the sofa.

"Let's go take a walk outside."

Xi Xiaye handed him a cup of tea as she said, "It's the weekend. The students have all gone out, so there aren't many people around..."

He reached out to take the tea before lowering his head to sip it. Then, he nodded after seeing the sorrow that gathered between her brows. He set the cup aside and got up. "Go put on your windbreaker."

Xi Xiaye responded, peering hesitantly at the study room. She lowered her gaze to think, then stood at the door to announce, "Mother, we want to take a walk around the school."

After she said this, Shen Wenna did not answer either. Xi Xiaye stayed silent for a while, then whirled around to grab the windbreaker on the rack.

At this moment, Shen Wenna's voice finally came from behind. "The car keys are on the shelf by the door."

"Mmm."

University A was huge and it would take almost an hour to walk from the south entrance to the north entrance. Apart from the Nissan downstairs, there were also the tram and bike. The tram was usually the best choice for going to classes. Shen Wenna had bought the bike, especially for Xi Xiaye. Whenever Xi Xiaye came over with Su Nan, the two of them used to roam around the university grounds on the bike.

Downstairs, Mu Yuchen stared at the car keys Xi Xiaye handed him, not taking it after a long time.

When she saw him not moving for a long while, Xi Xiaye suddenly raised her brows and looked at him in surprise. "Don't tell me you don't know how to ride a bike."

Without a word, he just squinted and looked at her thoughtfully. Just as he was about to say something, Xi Xiaye had already taken the keys back and sighed as she volunteered, "Alright, so there's finally something that you can't do. I'll drive you..."

Before she could finish, he had already taken the keys back and swiftly started the bike, he shot her a side glance, then she shrugged and walked over too.

"Later, I'll ask them to prepare a mountain bike for you. Every weekend, in the evening, we'll go around the villa. You still need more practice," he said, then he quickly took control of the bike and turned to look at her.

"I don't want to. I think I already have had tons of training." Xi Xiaye frowned as she responded. After that, she got into the backseat, while she held onto his shirt by his waist.

The entire university was rather empty. The pathway that led to the third teaching building was covered in peach blossom petals. Once in a while, they could see young couples taking pictures underneath the peach blossom trees, or riding their bicycles under the trees like them. The tinkle of light, cheerful laughter could be heard from time to time.

Xi Xiaye watched them and suddenly felt a little envious. Involuntarily, she tightened her grip onto the man's shirt and could not help but say, "Do you feel like, in this phase of theirs, it feels like love is really simple and really... There just isn't that many restrictions and overthinking... Just two people together... All because they like each other..."

He hesitated for a long while, before saying, "It's very simple and pure, but feelings like these will always lose to reality, so you don't have to envy them. People like us are the best. How many people have actually built their happiness based on other people's perceptions? So, Missus, you have to turn this envy into action. No one else can give us these things; we can only fight for it ourselves."

She listened and understood what he meant. However, she did not answer. Instead, her hand that was curled around his waist tightened, and she fell silent for a while. Then, she suddenly remembered that a very, very long time ago she had heard of this one song. Somehow, she could not recall its name.

Everyone couldn't find this despair and gave up, but you'd always arrive right when I'm in danger. I just don't know much, but that justice is guided by you...

Of all times, apart from the role of a husband and lover, she felt like she related to him more like a teacher and a friend. She could not question every word he uttered to her. Even she did not know why when it came to him, she could be so willing to trust without rejecting at all.

The feeling was actually horrible if you thought about it because it would create a sense of reliance, and once this thing you were reliant on was lost, one would not be able to bear it.

Su Nan had said, "Xiaye, quickly bear a child for Mu Yuchen and tie him down. You won't have to worry about him running off then. That way, his heart will settle down. If a woman is willing to bear children for that man, then she's definitely planning to spend the rest of her life with him."

She did not know whether this was right. She just suddenly remembered Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan. As their daughter, would she not be able to tie them to each other?

As she thought about this, she suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She could not help but ask him, "Mu Yuchen, if we have children in the future..."

As she said this, her voice gradually dropped as she looked down at the peach blossom petals that were scattered all over the floor and did not continue.

Mu Yuchen glanced down at her hand that was around his waist. He waited for a long while, yet she did not continue.

He could not stand her words that seemed to tease him, so he pleaded, "Finish what you were saying."