Ah Hui nodded. Initially, he wanted to say some more, but since Xi Mushan had already closed his eyes, he fell silent. Furthermore, he did not have the heart to disturb him, so he just let it be.

He quietly got into the car and drove straight to Hospital T.

At this very moment, inside the superior ward, Xi Xinyi had already woken up. She looked very pale and haggard. Generally, she looked much weaker and her chin had sharpened drastically. You could tell that she was not doing well recently. In fact, now she looked beaten.

Leaning against the bed head, she held onto her handphone and called Han Yifeng over and over again, yet it kept showing her that Han Yifeng's handphone was switched off. She was exceptionally worried and restless. Her beautiful eyes could not help but redden as she looked dazed too.

On the side, Yue Lingsi was peeling an apple. When she noticed her looking like this, she was concerned. "Xinyi, don't be so anxious. Yifeng might have something going on. Let him have some time alone first. The incident yesterday was just too..."

"Don't be worried? Mother, how can I not be worried? He's never treated me this way! He must be angry. Mother, would he not want me and the baby? Mother..."

Xi Xinyi turned around with a dazed expression as she gripped her phone tightly and looked at Yue Lingsi with teary eyes. "Mother, I'm really heartbroken..."

When she saw how frail Xi Xinyi was, Yue Lingsi felt her heart ache too, so she quickly consoled her, "Don't let your imagination run wild, Xinyi. You are carrying his child now. He wouldn't abandon you, so don't worry. On the Han family's end, they wouldn't agree either. Besides, the two of you just got married. There's still a long journey ahead of you, so don't say such silly things."

"Mother, I really didn't do it on purpose... But if I hadn't done that, Yifeng would've never seen my good side. Now he hates me and doesn't want me anymore, Mother..."

Xi Xinyi's tearful eyes widened while she sniffed, and tried calling Han Yifeng again as she said, "No, I must talk to him... There's no one else in this world that loves him more than me. He can't just abandon me and the baby!"

"Xinyi, rest for a while. You've been making calls ever since you woke up in the morning. As much as you want to reach him, Yifeng's phone is still switched off. Even Ziyao and the rest can't find him right now. Just let him have some time alone. The two of you are already married anyway, and now that you bear his child too, you don't have to worry about him running off."

Yue Lingsi reached out and wanted to stop Xi Xinyi, yet she persistently made another call which still went to voicemail. She finally broke down and tossed her phone to the ground.

Bang!

With a crash, the brand new phone announced the end of its life.

"He's doing this on purpose. He's purposely avoiding me! Mother, what should I do? What should I do?!"

"Xinyi, calm down! Don't hurt yourself. The doctor says you can't get too emotional! Do you want there to be any mishap with your child?"

"Then, make Yifeng come. I must talk to him. I really didn't hurt Xiaye on purpose! I didn't think that things would've turned out to be so severe back then. I just wanted Cousin to frighten her a little, make her back out herself, or make Yifeng change his mind about her. I really didn't think she would be expelled by the military academy. Otherwise, what could I have done? Grandfather was going to let her get engaged with Yifeng. That was the only way to break them apart. Mother, after the incident, I really blamed myself... I suffered too..."

Xi Xinyi buried her face in her hands and wept, her light golden long hair tumbling down in a mess. Her usual beauty was no longer apparent. There was just haggardness and dullness left.

"Enough. Don't cry anymore. I know you've suffered too, but these things... Xinyi, what do you want me to say to you?" Yue Lingsi could not help but sigh sorrowfully. Who else but her could understand this feeling?

"Mother..." Xi Xinyi was incredibly sad. She leaned into her embrace, looking for a sliver of comfort.

However, right at this moment, there was suddenly a knock on the door. Xi Xinyi then wiped her tears away and looked at the door.

"Madam, Miss Xinyi!"

It was Xi Mushan's secretary, Ah Hui, who pushed the door open.

The mother and daughter were shocked. Their eyes flashed with apprehensiveness and then they saw Xi Mushan walk in. He carried his usual heavy aura. His stern expression was all tensed in seriousness, exuding an imposing and cold air.

"Father!" Xi Xinyi was stunned as panic crossed her eyes. She subconsciously looked to Yue Lingsi, who had stood up a little uneasily.

Xi Mushan glared at the two of them and walked over.

"Father, why are you here? Are you okay?"

Xi Xinyi naturally did not forget that because of Xi Xiaye's matter, the government seemed to have had some news that was bad for Xi Mushan. In fact, in this period, Xi Mushan seemed to be extremely busy with work, so much so that he almost could not find the time to handle his family matters.

"Mushan, the doctor says that Xinyi's pregnancy isn't very stable. She can't be overworked and get provoked. Xiaye went overboard last night. Despite all that, she should consider the occassion too. She clearly didn't want everyone to have peace! Mother's high blood pressure was almost triggered, and my father, he's furious too. She's just doing this so our family will look bad in front of the Yues and the Hans! If word gets out about this, where can we put our face? She really doesn't know her place!" Yue Lingsi could not help but begin ranting.

"Father, it's not Sister's fault. I deserve all of this. It was I who hurt her first, so I can understand how she feels. She's always been deeply in love with Yifeng. I..."

Xi Xinyi did not finish because she noticed Xi Mushan glaring at her with an exceptionally stern and sharp gaze. She stopped and glanced a little uneasily at Xi Mushan.

"So, does that mean that you're the culprit behind Xiaye's drama?" Xi Mushan demanded in a low voice, his gaze fixated on Xi Xinyi.

Xi Xinyi trembled as she quietly lowered her head and bit her lip. Her shoulders trembled slightly and she was softly sobbing.

"Mushan, Xinyi she..."

"Shut up!"

Yue Lingsi wanted to say something, but she was sternly pushed back by Xi Mushan. His sharp gaze even frightened Yue Lingsi.

"Father, you've frightened Mother!" Xi Xinyi quickly lifted a hand to hold Yue Lingsi steady.

"This is the good daughter that you've raised. Just like you, to achieve your goals, you'd scheme and spare no tricks." Xi Mushan sneered as he looked at the two of them.

"Father, this was all me. It has nothing to do with Mother. You don't have to criticize her like that!"

Xi Xinyi was protective of her mother. She pushed Yue Lingsi to the back and looked at Xi Mushan stubbornly.

Yue Lingsi was pale and she balled fists as she looked at Xi Mushan, muttering, "Mushan, Xinyi wasn't sensible. She's still young. Don't blame her..."

"Still young? She was only in her teens and she's already learned such evil tricks to frame her own sister. How's she considered still young? The student becomes the master after she was taught by you."

"Father, I already said that I really didn't do that on purpose!"

Xi Mushan shot Xi Xinyi a side look. Quickly, his gaze fell onto Yue Lingsi with a coldness that could not be hidden in his still eyes. "If you still want to keep your position as the mayor's wife, I hope you'll buck up and play your role well."

"Mushan, listen to me..." Yue Lingsi shivered slightly. She immediately went up to him and was about to hold onto his arm, yet he just lifted a hand and turned around indifferently. Consequently, he reached out to nothing.

"I hope that this can stop where it is right now. You two, stop disturbing Shen Wenna and Xiaye. As for Xiaye getting expelled from the military academy, Xinyi, you'd better be able to persuade your cousin to explain it clearly. Otherwise, when the court sends a letter to us, if I find out that you two stirred trouble up, you'd better be prepared to leave the Xi family."

Xi Mushan then coldly left the ward, refusing to stay for another second.

His words left Yue Lingsi in panic and shock. Her gaze was fixed on the doorway ahead that was already empty as she muttered, "What? What does he mean by leave the Xi family? Xinyi, did your father say something about leaving the Xi family? Who's leaving the Xi family?"

"Mother, Father's just saying those out of anger. Don't take them seriously..." Xi Xinyi looked at the empty doorway ahead, yet her gaze had already instantly turned bitter.

"He wants to divorce me? He wants to chase us out of the Xi family, does he? Is that so? Huh, Xinyi?" Yue Lingsi clutched onto Xinyi's sleeves and asked with a worried expression.

"He wants to bring Shen Wenna and her daughter back... He must be thinking of bringing them back... No way! I'm telling you, no way! Even if I die, I wouldn't let Shen Wenna that b*tch have her way! Xi Mushan can only be mine. He's mine! I'm the Mayor's wife., I'm the daughter-in-law of the Xi family! Shen Wenna is nothing. She's just an abandoned woman. What does she have to deserve to fight with me? What?!"

Yue Lingsi could not calm down.

"Mother! Calm down! There's no way Father would divorce you. Grandfather and Grandmother wouldn't agree, and there's Grandfather [1] and the rest too, so what are you worried about?"

Xi Xinyi looked worriedly at Yue Lingsi with mixed emotions in her eyes.

How could she say that she actually really hated how Yue Lingsi would look all lowly in front of Xi Mushan every time?

Why could she not be like Shen Wenna and look icily arrogant too?

She knew that Xi Mushan hated the way she looked meek and always tried to win his favor, yet she would continue to act just like that!

As Yue Lingsi listened to her daughter, she relaxed a little and quickly nodded. "Right, right... Your father can't divorce me. Right, how did I forget? Even if Shen Wenna's dead, she'll never get your father!"

...

Two days later, Han Yifeng still did not reveal himself and he did not go to the office either. No one knew where he had gone. Huang Ziyao, Xi Xinyi and the rest were worried sick. In fact, at the same time, a letter from the court had been sent to Xi Xinyi, causing everyone to go into an alarm.

Naturally, it was about Xi Xiaye getting expelled from the military academy.

The next afternoon, after mobilizing discussions all around and Xi Xinyi had received the court's letter, Yang Jianfeng had unexpectedly gone to the court himself to come clean about the truth, taking on all the criminal charges. Because there was no direct evidence, Xi Xinyi had dodged a bullet.

She was secretly glad. Thankfully, Yang Jianfeng had not used those drugs back then. Otherwise, she...

As for Yang Jianfeng becoming the black sheep, it was something within Xi Xiaye's expectations. Even though she was a little unhappy about it, at least this could prove her innocence. In fact, everyone had always been clear about the whole incident, so she could only reluctantly accept this result.

It was Zhuang Shurong who called herself to explain the whole situation. Xi Xiaye knew what she was about to say, so her reaction was very calm. "Mother, I understand. I agree to drop the lawsuit."

Zhuang Shurong fell silent for a moment on the other end of the phone before she continued, "Mmm, this implicates a lot. If we continue to hold on to it, they might want to look into your self-defense with excessive force. Xiaye, if you want to continue, I won't stop you..."

Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly and shook her head. "No need, Mother, just let it be. I agree to drop it."

"Okay, the court will adjust the charges. They'll let you publicly clarify this matter. Don't worry and don't be too pressured."

"Mmm, thanks, Mother."

"I'll explain the situation to Chen Er too. That's that then."

...

Just as Zhuang Shurong was about to hang up, Xi Xiaye suddenly asked, "Hold on, Mother. How's Father?"

"Don't worry. Nothing happened. Don't fret too much. Leave work earlier today to rest. You've been too tensed these past few days. Don't overburden yourself..."

...

After she hung up on Zhuang Shurong, Xi Xiaye felt more relaxed. She slowly stood up and turned to look out the window behind her. This was when she noticed that the sky was clear outside. It was the kind of sky after the rain had cleared.

Knock knock!

Right at that moment, there was suddenly a knock from outside.

Xi Xiaye did not turn to look and just responded, "Come in."

The door opened very quickly as her assistant, Xiao Mei, brought in a young fellow who walked in with a huge bouquet of yellow roses in his arms.

"Director Xi, this young man says someone sent you flowers!"

When she heard this, Xi Xiaye slowly turned around and looked suspiciously at the man.

The young man smiled and walked up to her while holding the bouquet up to take a closer look at the card. "Are you Miss Xi Xiaye?"

Xi Xiaye raised her brows and did not answer, but the delivery boy was already sure it was her and handed her the bouquet. "Miss Xi, these are flowers a mister has bought for you. Please sign for them!"

Who sent her flowers?

Was it Mu Yuchen?

The first name Xi Xiaye thought of was Mu Yuchen. She swiftly took the delivery order and wrote her name down. Then, she took the flowers as Xiao Mei and the fellow swiftly exited.

She peered down at the bouquet in her hands and very quickly noticed the envelope stuck in the flowers. Holding it up to read, she unexpectedly realized that it was Han Yifeng's handwriting!

A line of messy scrawling appeared in her sight.

Xiaye, I'm sorry. Thank you for the love you once granted me. I should have cherished it!

When she saw these words, Xi Xiaye felt a sourness in her heart for some reason and her eyes suddenly started to turn hot.

She suddenly went absent-minded.

As she blinked and tried to force the lukewarm feeling in her eyes back, she lifted her head and gazed outside at the blue sky once again. The card in her hand gradually fell into the dustbin.

She took a deep breath while she rested an arm on the chilly window pane before her. Then, she returned to her usual composure after a while.

She was not feeling sad. Instead, she was relieved.

After putting in so much effort, she just wanted a word of recognition. Whether it was worth it or not, putting an end to it could lead to a new beginning.

She told herself that all the unhappiness in the past were just stepping stones. No matter what, her own happiness would come one day.

Suddenly, she turned her head around and looked at the blooming yellow roses on her table. A rare smile appeared on her face.

If only everything could just end here. Unfortunately, one could not win against fate...

...

That night, it was the birthday of Vice Director Xu from the Planning Department. His lover had booked a room to host a party. At first, Xi Xiaye did not want to go, but since Vice Director Xu insisted, she was forced to go.

Mu Yuchen went to the neighboring city early in the morning. He went over the development of Movie City with Ah Mo. His phone had been switched off the whole day. He was probably busy with work, so she just left him a text message before heading over to the venue.

Things were getting started in the room. Most of the guests consisted of people from the Planning Department, most of whom she knew, so they started chatting. Xi Xiaye did not drink since she needed to drive later. Throughout the night, she just sat around and chatted.

However, she seemed a little uneasy that night. She glanced over at her phone several times and did not see any calls or message replies from Mu Yuchen. After some hesitation, she decided to leave earlier and gave Ah Mo a call.

Near the entrance, as she walked down the staircase, Xi Xiaye was heading towards her car with a frown on her face and was about to call Ah Mo when she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry!" Xi Xiaye gasped subconsciously with her eyes still glued onto the phone screen. An arm helped her up as she seemed like she was about to trip, followed by the faint scent of cologne which made her frown.

"We meet again, Ms. Xiaye!"

There was a tint of cheekiness in his tone. When Xi Xiaye raised her head, Qi Lei's face was right before her eyes. He seemed glad about their encounter.

"Why are you here!?" Xi Xiaye grabbed onto her phone tightly and stared at him alertly.

"Fate, I guess! We seem to bump into each other everywhere." Qi Lei grinned, his eyes deep and dark like the abyss.

"Let go!" Xi Xiaye struggled in his grip and put on an unwelcoming attitude towards him. "I don't think it's fate at all. We're just enemies that happen to bump into each other."

"Why would you say so? There's no way a beauty like you is an enemy to me. It's a fateful meeting between us!" Qi Lei leered. While his words were frivolous in nature, his eyes seemed judgmental and interested instead.

Xi Xiaye laughed coldly. She averted her gaze away and was about to leave. Unexpectedly, Qi Lei stepped forward and smiled beside her ear. "You seem to be on guard against me. Do I look like a bad person to you?"

"Nope, because I know you are one! Can you move away, Vice President Qi?" Xi Xiaye stopped struggling and glared into his smiling eyes.

"I heard about your recent victory. Did Mu Yuchen help you out? That gift of his just revealed everything about your sister. What a smart move! Oh, I almost forgot, he's always this vicious..."

Qi Lei let out an evil laugh as his eyes turned icy. He smiled again when he saw Xi Xiaye's frigid expression. "Don't look at me like that. I might misunderstand... Mu Yuchen isn't a nice person. You can consider coming over to Qikai where I can give you a position as Vice President. What do you think?"

Xi Xiaye suddenly had a wry smile on her face as she looked at Qi Lei. "So, you mean you're a nice person then? It's not impossible for me to go over to Qi Kai. I've never been a CEO before. Why don't you ask your father to quit and let me become the CEO of Qi Kai instead? Then, I'll think about it."

Qi Lei was not angry at all. In fact, he laughed wholeheartedly. "Ms. Xiaye, you're so much more fun than your pitiful sister. Is Han Yifeng crazy? He didn't know he had such a precious one by his side all this time!"

Xi Xiaye remained silent and just stared at Qi Lei coldly.

"I don't mean any ill, Ms. Xiaye. I'm genuinely inviting you over to Qi Kai. I'm sure we can offer a much better package than Glory World. Please give it some thought. I really admire you. I heard the proposal for the South River project this time was your work. I'm really looking forward to Mu Yuchen's overconfidence that he'll get this project."