However, Mu Zi had only been popular for a few years. Rumor had it that after that she could not cope with the pressure and fell into depression, she jumped off a building to end her life.

After that, her name slowly left the attention of the public.

Even though Xi Xiaye did not follow celebrity news, it had been huge news. Back then, it had been quite shocking too. However, everything that came after was hearsay, and she had been quite young then, so she obviously did not remember anything.

How unexpected that Mu Zi would turn out to be Mu Zixi, his aunt!

"Aunty left us not too long after giving birth to Lingshi. Just like that, so many years have passed and some memories have even faded. I can't remember much either."

He reacted rather calmly. Of course, when he looked at the other picture beside Mu Zixi, his handsome face darkened. His eyes held an unfathomable gloominess which seemed to be mixed with emotions. She saw that he could not help but cough several times, and a bleakness colored between his brows.

When he saw the questions in her eyes, he calmly explained, "He is Aunty's son, Lingshi's brother. He was a few years younger than me. He grew up with Lingshi, Su Chen, Zhou Zimo, and I."

Xi Xiaye frowned at him as she asked softly, "Mu Lingtian... Mu Lingshi... Then, their father..."

"I don't know. Aunty herself has never mentioned him to anyone. Grandfather, Grandmother and my parents spent so much effort but they couldn't find out who their father was. Nevertheless, it's true that Lingtian and Lingshi are biological siblings," he plainly responded. After a pause, he continued, "When Aunty was younger, she was very rebellious. She was determined to go down the path of acting, but you know that taking this path..."

When he said this, he suddenly sighed, "Now you know why I've never been impressed by show business. My father said that Aunty fell in love with a man that couldn't marry her... In the few years before she passed away, she fell into severe depression after she gave birth to Lingshi.

"Grandfather and Grandmother are strict with their upbringing. When such a thing happened, they were furious. They even wanted to kick my aunt out of the house. It was Father who persuaded them to compromise, and then she fell pregnant with Lingshi again. Grandfather and Grandmother... Aunty was already in a bad situation then. Even if they didn't forgive her, she was still their daughter, so... Unexpectedly, not long after Aunty gave birth to Lingshi, she ended her life. Grandfather and Grandmother were heartbroken. While Aunty never mentioned who the father of Lingtian and Lingshi was, she only told Father that they share the same father."

As Mu Yuchen said this, he suddenly leaned a hand against the cold tombstone. His long fingers picked up a yellow leaf that had fallen on the tombstone as he smiled sadly. "Remember I told you before that my family has strict demands of us children? Actually, a part of it was also because of my aunt. They all think that Grandfather adopted Ah Mo from the orphanage for me... but actually, that's not the case. It was because of Lingtian... Lingtian was a reserved person who didn't like to talk. He could not seem to blend in with us, that's why Grandfather found Ah Mo, and let Ah Mo be Lingtian's playmate. So, Ah Mo and the siblings, Lingtian and Lingshi, are very close."

After he said this, he suddenly fell silent. He took out a cigarette box from his pocket and lit three sticks, putting them on Mu Lingtian's tombstone.

Xi Xiaye quietly listened to him in a daze.

Who would have thought that the Mu family would have had such a sad past?

She fell silent for a really long time before she finally could not help but ask, "What about him? How did he pass away?"

Mu Yuchen was startled. His dark eyes flashed with a cold light that seemed odd and complicated. An unfathomable bitter smile graced the corner of his lips, and even his gaze darkened.

"Because of that car accident," he plainly answered word for word, "Four years... No, five years, the car accident was five years ago."

A car accident?

Xi Xiaye was stunned. She could not wrap her head around it, yet he did not wait for her to return from the shock. He had already turned around and no longer looked at the two tombstones. Then, he coldly walked past her. "Let's go home. It's very cold here. You shouldn't be getting cold too. Whatever I've told you today, never mention it in front of my grandparents."

Then, he started making his way down the stairs. His handsome and tall figure disappeared in the bleak, misty rain just like that. As she watched him, there seemed to be an indescribable sadness and distance.

She quietly watched his figure that walked away gradually for a long time. Then, she could not help but sigh. At last, she looked to the two pictures on the tombstones, then caught up with him.

However, they did not know that just as their figures vanished in the rain, a tall man in a black outfit had walked up to Mu Zixi and Mu Lingtian's tombstones. The man wore black sunglasses and his face could not be seen clearly.

He held an umbrella in his hand, and in his arms were two bouquets of the same beautiful lilies.

He walked up to the tombstones. Stopping, he stared at the bouquets in front of the tombstones and seemed to smile bitterly. He picked up the two bouquets and tossed them away. Then, he swept the three cigarettes that were still lit on Mu Lingtian's tombstone away before he put the bouquets in his arms onto the tombstone...

On the way home, it was Xi Xiaye who drove. Sitting shotgun, Mu Yuchen kept coughing from time to time. It felt a little bleak listening to him hacking in the narrow space.

Xi Xiaye still felt a little dizzy, probably because they stood in the cold rain earlier and braved the cold winds. Now, she felt quite sick.

Qingshan Cemetery was in the suburbs of the west of the city. It was very far from their Maple Residence and a one-way trip toook more than an hour. Xi Xiaye did not dare to drive quickly either. Furthermore, now that it was close to 5 p.m. on the outskirts, the roads started to get busy too.

Many cars were driving towards Qingshan Cemetery too. When she slowly drove past the weeping willow path, she noticed that the weeping willows had turned green, and many people walked past them with fresh flowers in hand. Those plain-colored bouquets looked fresh in their arms...

She took a glance at the many still tombstones above, and then at the green weeping willows that they were leaving behind. In that instance, she felt that —

It turned out that life and death were just that distinct. As she remembered the black and white of death and then observed this lively abundance, the difference was striking and distinct, so distinct that it made her feel a little pained...

She turned to look at him seeming so lonely and remained silent. Suddenly, she reached out without thinking and gently clutched his slightly cold hand that lay by his side.

He breathed in and suddenly looked at her.

While she just stared ahead, silent yet focused, her calm little face looked a little pale. A while after that, his fingers tightened and he silently held her hand.

He coughed and took a tissue to cover his mouth. With a deep inhalation, he suddenly said softly, "There are some things that are taboo to bring up to the Mu family. No one has ever mentioned Aunty's name all these years. Everyone feels that time can conceal all this unhappiness."

As he said this, there was a faint smile on his lips. He turned to look at the green weeping willows that they left behind and said lightly, "There'll be some things you want to forget, but it's hard, especially when you've experienced it personally..."

After he said this, the two of them remained silent for a very, very long time. His handsome face was unfathomable in the dim lights as Xi Xiaye quietly drove without speaking. Suddenly, she heard him sigh, "Okay, let's not talk about these unhappy things anymore. Don't tell them that we came here when we get back. Just talk about things that are worth being happy about."

He did not plan to continue, so he bent down and took out a CD to play. Soon, upbeat music quickly poured out of the speakers, flushing out the depressing mood in the car.

Seeing that he was not in a dreary mood, she thought about it and suggested, "These two days, the company is on holiday. There are still some things I left in the office. Now that it's after working hours, let's go get it on the way. Since we don't have to work tomorrow, let's go out tonight to relax. How about that?"

He frowned slightly and looked at her slightly pale face in disagreement. "Those two days are your sick days off. How do you still have the enthusiasm?"

Xi Xiaye shrugged, peering innocently at him. She struggled for a while before saying frustratedly, "Mr. Mu, don't you think that the way we go home to have dinner and rest after work every day without any leisure plans, doesn't feel like the life of newlyweds? Even I feel like I've been married to you for years! Other people who've been married for years still can hold hands and go dancing. You're not exciting at all. I've never seen you ask me out..."

When she pointed this out, Mu Yuchen raised his brows in shock at her. Quite a while after that, he said in a deep voice, "Missus, excitement, is it? Didn't I just satisfy you last night? It was you begged for me to stop..."

"I'm not talking about that! Don't you dare change the topic. I was saying that we aren't like other newlywed couples... Other people are so happy and sweet," Xi Xiaye complained, shooting him a displeased look.

Mu Yuchen looked at her, understanding dawning in his eyes as he laughed. "I've told you many times, your happiness is built in the eyes of others... Can't you just tell me that you want to go for a honeymoon with me?"

She glared at him, yet she did not deny it.

"We can only wait for the first of May. Once the South River project is done, then we can relax. We'll have tons of time to relax afterward. Where do you want to go? Bali? Or France? Your husband will definitely satisfy you."

As he spoke, the gloominess around him faded away too. Now, he was looking at with a faint smile.

Even though she was not a humorous person either, yet behaving foolishly with her and talking to her was a very delightful thing.

"I want to travel the world. Can you satisfy me?" She shot him a sour look and demanded unhappily.

He thought about it, and answered seriously, "I'll go to the city right now to buy you a globe."

"Annoying! Can you not take advantage of my words?"

"Then, how can I take advantage of you?"

"I'll take advantage of you ! I'll let you take it! Take it!"

"Ouch! Missus, is this the finger of a King Kong? How painful!"

When the car slowly made its way to the lobby of Glory World Corporation, the sky had darkened and most of the employees have gotten off work.

The husband and wife just stopped the car at the plaza before the entrance. Then, they made their way up together to pack their things from their offices. Xi Xiaye was pretty quick. She swiftly put all her things into her briefcase and read through two documents that needed her review. Then, she brought them up to the 58th floor.

"Hasn't the government decided on the actual time for the tender meeting? The new policies seemed to have been released. Previously, it was said to be the middle of this month. Why isn't there any news yet?"

Xi Xiaye handed the document to him as he sat at his desk. She remembered bumping into Qi Lei last night and could not help but frown. Truthfully, she was not sure whether or not to tell him.

"I just got off the phone with someone from the other end. It's scheduled to be on the 12th this month, a few days earlier than the initially decided date, so we have to rush a little. Other companies should've finished handing the documents over in the next few days. Today I also asked Li Si to send the additional materials over, so you don't have to worry."

He took the document and flipped it open before briefly looking through it. Then, he signed his name.

She nodded and hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Right, on Yueying's end, VP Liu might need to go to City B with Ah Mo for the whole of next month. He wants to let me take over the other side, and he asked me to ask you..."

"Mmm, as you wish. If you don't want to go, I can arrange for someone else to take over. I'm sure you know that Elder Madam Xi is planning to hand the company to Xi Xinyi to handle. Because she left the industry just like that, I think she'll let Xi Xinyi take over Yueying as quickly as possible. That way, the Yue family will step in, and then they can stabilize the Han family for now." Mu Yuchen had already analyzed everything clearly.

Xi Xiaye nodded and sighed, "I almost forgot about the Yue family. With the Yue family, even Grandfather and Father can't curry their favor. Besides, the Yues and the Qis do have a very subtle relationship. Xi Xinyi can't count on Han Yifeng, so the Yue family is still her strong backup in the end just like this time. If it weren't for them, Yang Jianfeng wouldn't have taken the fall so quickly..."

Now that she thought about it, she really was reluctant, but well she had no other choice. It was true that she did stab Yang Jianfeng's eye until he went blind.

He looked at the way she was so dejected, and could not help but grin. "Giving up so quickly already?"

She lifted her head a little defeatedly and lamented, "What else can I do then? I've finally made a breakthrough, but... Forget it. This time, I'll just consider her lucky. I'm afraid there'll be more friction after this."

"You don't have to worry about the other side. Just let VP Liu handle it. Okay, let's go home. Tonight I'll watch a movie with you."

"Have you bought the tickets already?"

"Who says we have to go to the cinema to watch movies?"

"Mr. Mu, why aren't you romantic at all?"

"Shall I have a candlelight dinner with you?"

"Tacky!"

...

It was Qingming. Drizzle fell and after a few light showers, the entire City Z was engulfed in haziness. The cold winds continued and it was so gloomy that even the skies feel depressing.

Inside the CEO's office of the Han Corporation, Han Yifeng who had vanished for several days was currently leaning against the sofa in his office and downing glass after glass of spirit.

His usually stern and dashing face was no longer that charming. Now, it was only left with loneliness and desolateness. He looked completely dispirited.

The office was on a break, so the entire company was empty. There was no one at all. Engulfed in the gloomy rain, it was so still and quiet that one felt suffocated.

On the table beside him was a handphone that kept buzzing. It did not seem to stop, yet its owner did not pick up a single call. The sweet-sounding ringtone flowed in the silent and stifling space, seeming particularly eerie.

It was not sure how long passed before the ringtone finally fell silent again, yet there came a knocking from outside the door. Before he could respond, the person outside had already pushed the door to enter.

As expected, the person who came was Han Yu!

Han Yu had just entered when the strong smell of alcohol assailed his nostrils. He immediately frowned and looked ahead to see the inebriated Han Yifeng.

"Yifeng!"

Frowning, Han Yu walked up to Han Yifeng is a few huge strides. He snatched the wine glass from his hand and then noticed that on the table, quite a few empty bottles were toppled all over while cigarette butts littered the floor.

"Don't drink anymore. Look at how you are now! How unreasonable!"

Han Yu's face sank as he pulled Han Yifeng up, yet he was shoved away with a feeble struggle of the hand. He looked at Han Yu with blur, bloodshot eyes. He pulled at the tie on his chest and spoke hoarsely, "Father, don't stop me. I want to be alone."

"Yifeng, that's enough! Everyone couldn't find you these past few days. What do you want? Your grandfather's very angry. You should get home by now!"

Han Yu was furious! He knew his son too well. Since he was young, he had always been treasured. He always prided himself upon his abilities and was insufferably arrogant, especially since he had never been sharpened on the grindstone or down. Now with something like this, he knew that he would not be able to accept it, just like how he was now; he had become a drunkard!

"You're a man! How can you disappoint us, your grandfather, and your mother and I? You let our expectations of you down by turning yourself into this useless sack because of this little problem?" Han Yu was extremely disappointed as he looked sadly and worriedly at Han Yifeng.

Han Yifeng breathed in heavily and sat on the sofa weakly. He said, feeling worn out and with a raspy voice, "Then, what do you think I should do? The woman I thought I'd been loving deeply has been treating me like a fool and toying with me. Because of her, I didn't spare bearing the accusation of being a heartless rat by abandoning my initial fiancè. Because of her, I was willing to leave the country for a few years just to settle the resentment between Xiaye and I. Because of her, I endured unfair treatment time and time again, tolerating her, accommodating her, and in the end? What did I get?"

When Han Yifeng rambled on about this, he suddenly stopped to sweep a hand across the table filled with empty glass bottles that fell to the ground and shattered loudly.

"What I got were lies from her! Can you imagine that the woman you share a bed with every night would turn out to be that kind of woman? If you were me, wouldn't you find it hard to accept? Wouldn't you feel pain?"

"She did lie to you, but what else can you do now? Do you think you can change reality by being completely drunk? You two are already married! And Xinyi has your child! Your grandfather is hoping that you can recover quickly. Everyone can't talk about this incident anymore. We'll discuss it again once the child is born. In fact, Yueying and the Han Corporation have just settled down. Whatever it is, you have to get back up. Do you understand?" Han Yu held onto Han Yifeng tightly and said earnestly.

"I don't know, Father. I want to be alone for a while. Is that so hard? Can't you guys just pause for a while and let me be myself for a while?"

Han Yifeng pulled the part of his shirt that Han Yu held onto back, staring at Han Yu with bloodshot eyes. His gloomy face almost could not contain his anger and because of his huge movements, Han Yu stumbled.

"Yifeng!" Han Yu widened his eyes and looked at Han Yifeng.

Han Yifeng just picked up the car keys on the table and turned to walk outside!

Bam!

The loud sound of the door slamming came, shocking Han Yu again.

...

Han Yifeng held his car keys and walked out unsteadily, yet he did not expect that as soon as he walked out of his office, he would find a frail Xi Xinyi standing in the empty corridor ahead.