When he said this, she was startled and she peered up at him. Her eyes twinkled like the stars as they brimmed with a faint glimmer. A while after that, she muttered, "Didn't we decide on October first? We'll have more time then."

"I don't want to wait too long. It's not a bad thing to have our wedding. Just let Grandmother handle it, hmm?"

He held her hand, the faint gleam on her ring finger flickering gently. He gazed down, then held her tightly. "I want to marry you sooner. I want to let other people know that you're mine."

When Xi Xiaye heard this, her heart trembled. She slowly gazed down and let him hold her hands tightly till they hurt, but she did not say anything.

"If you don't say anything, I'm going to take it as a yes," he said, lifting his hands to hold her frail shoulders and pulling her gently into his embrace. He planted an emotional kiss on her forehead before he breathed in and said in a lowered voice, "That way, we can save the trouble. We have to do it sooner or later anyway, so it might as well be sooner."

"But..."

"No buts. You just have to be a bride when the time comes. You don't have to worry about anything else. Hmm?" His voice was sensitive and gentle. It even carried a fatal seductiveness. His wise eyes that could see through everything were filled with a distant vortex. As she watched them, she found it hard to pull away. Instead, she fell deeply into his gaze bit by bit, and was extremely attracted to him.

He locked onto the gleam in her eyes and said tenderly, "I'll give you a grand wedding. After the magnificent curtain call, our lives will return to this peace. Whatever anyone else has, you can have too."

When he said this, Xi Xiaye felt her heart soften. She felt touched in a way that could not be described. With a deep inhale, she stared at him in contemplation. A while after that, she asked softly, "Why are you so...?"

"Because you are Missus Mu, the only official genuine one, the only one Mr. Mu acknowledges."

She did not finish what she said when he answered. She could not deny that he could immediately see through her thoughts.

Even he did not know that they had such excellent chemistry between them.

Xi Xiaye almost laughed out loud at his words. She could not help but purse her lips and chuckle. All of a sudden, she threw herself onto him. "Only official genuine one? There must be a lot of pirated ones then. Say, did you womanize around on your trip this time? I heard that the women there are very enthusiastic. In fact, they're all very pretty!"

"Mmm!"

When she threw herself onto him, he groaned and quickly reached out to catch her. "No, I returned to the hotel when I was done with work, Missus. Mr. Mu is one with his wife. He's a good man that's loyal to his MIssus. Why would he go and provoke those commonplace women?"

"Do people really praise themselves like this?" Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She thought about it and said, "Would it be too rushed? If we have our wedding shoot in May, where should we take it?"

"Where do you want to go? Maldives or Bali? We can just go for a breather and relax. There'll still be one to two months till the wedding, which will be enough time for preparation."

He tilted his head casually to the side and lay down with his arm supporting his head as a pillow.

She lowered her body too as she looked at him and said, "Then, I'll tell Grandpa and Mother."

"Mmm," he responded, and his arm around her shoulder tightened.

...

The setting sun was dragging the faint twilight by the horizon as evening came around. Xi Xiaye was going to read a book, yet he dragged her off the sofa. He insisted on riding around the villa area.

Helpless, Xi Xiaye could only do as he wished. After one round, she was almost out of breath and her face dripped with sweat.

When the husband and wife returned to Maple Residence, the sky had darkened slightly. The world was a dull gray as the evening breeze blew gently and the streetlights had been switched on.

When they got home, the two of them swiftly took a shower and had a simple meal before they rushed out to Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.

The car sped all the way and rushed toward Imperial Sky Entertainment City with Xi Xiaye at the wheel.

Xi Xiaye who was focused on driving suddenly spoke up, "I talked to Ah Shi about her and Ah Mo. After that, I heard Ah Mo say that Ah Shi did call him. I think that she cares about him. When I spoke to her the other day, I saw that when I mentioned Ah Mo, she was moved. I think that they must have been a pretty loving couple back then."

"They were already thinking about getting engaged."

His mood seemed to turn gloomy. "She's a stubborn person too. Ah Mo didn't have the heart to force her. All these years, I've taken everything in."

"Mmm, but she's quite a strong girl. When I see her, I think of myself," Xi Xiaye sighed, "Such a good girl, yet she has to suffer all of this. I feel quite sad to witness this."

As she said this, Mu Yuchen's eyes darkened. When she unexpectedly turned to look at him, she caught his moody expression and her heart tightened. "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. It'll all get better. No matter what, life goes on."

Mu Yuchen reached out to hold his forehead as he sighed, "Mmm, don't worry. I'm fine."

Xi Xiaye nodded. "As long as the two of them can get back together again, everything might get better. There are many times when we make things worse because we are miserable, and even more so when we just can't let go of some things ourselves. Take myself for example, I could've been more forgiving and not care too much. Then, I would've lived more peacefully and happily even though... Anyway, I still believe that there are many kind people who are still contented, such as us, Ah Mo, or Ah Shi..."

He could not help but admit that when it came to this woman, listening to her speak felt like a sort of delight. If he had not found the reasons he admired her or wanted her, then at this moment, he could clearly tell himself that her unyielding strength and optimistic must be a very important reason as to why he had been attracted to her.

She was clearly just a woman who had been pushed around in life, yet she wanted to use her little strength to influence and help others. Sometimes, he really did not know whether to call her silly or say that she was too ambitious!

She had bizarre energy around her, the kind that could make one more forgiving and optimistic when they saw her. All of this seemed to be what he needed. It was hard to imagine that after going round and round, he would find all of this within a little woman like her.

Nevertheless, whether it was out of habit or whether his admiration for her, he hoped that they could peacefully spend the rest of their lives together, work together, live together, get married, have children, and quietly wait for time to pass as they grew old together.

It was 8 p.m. when they arrived at the parking lot of Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. The lively nightlife was just about to begin. The multiple neon lights outside enveloped the city in a reverie.

The Entertainment Club was actually two clubs facing opposite each other. It was something similar to a street full of bars, but this street only had two super huge clubs.

It was crowded when Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye went into the club, and loud music was blaring from the speakers. Many waiters were walking around serving guests. There were also three people writhing on the stage in front.

Many youngsters were shuffling on the dance floor.

The club had two floors. The top floor consisted mostly of rooms which were all equipped with an impressive soundproof system. The music outside would not be able to reach inside the room, but one could still see what was happening below through the glass window. The setting of the room was similar to a karaoke room.

When the couple arrived at the room, Su Chen was already waiting inside. Su Chen's cousin and his wife, Su Hai and Xiaoying, were also there. They seemed to be pretty close to Mu Yuchen, addressing him "Bro Chen" and "Sis-in-law Chen" when they went in. It made Xi Xiaye feel a little embarrassed.

Su Chen dragged Mu Yuchen aside and started singing while Xi Xiaye just sat there and listened to Xiaoying's singing. Her voice was pretty melodious and she was really into the performance.

Xi Xiaye was not really fond of visiting places like this. Although she had come with Su Nan before, listening to Su Nan and Ruan Heng singing love ballads to each other was pretty interesting, but now, several men were drinking together and she was not really familiar with Xiaoying, so...

She tilted her body a little and looked down. Beside the stage, Mu Lingshi was working with the other DJ and the dancers, spinning some songs from time to time.

Mu Lingshi dressed as usual with her long, white shirt on the inside and a silver and black coat on top. Donning large, dark sunglasses and a black cap, she seemed pretty young and trendy.

Xi Xiaye's eyes shone as she suddenly stood up and went outside after giving it some thought. Mu Yuchen instantly noticed her getting to her feet, so he quickly looked at her.

Xi Xiaye pointed downstairs and Mu Yuchen gave her an understanding nod.

After a while, she walked past the long corridor and reached downstairs. The beats were really intense whilst colorful lights crisscrossed and rippled everywhere.

When Xi Xiaye found Mu Lingshi, she was standing aside and speaking with two managers on something. She waved to Xi Xiaye when she saw her. "That's that then. You guys can go work on it now."

"Noted, Manager Mu!"

The two people nodded before leaving. When they saw Xi Xiaye, they greeted her respectfully, "Hello, Director Xi!"

"Hello," Xi Xiaye replied them briefly.

"Sister-in-law? Why are you here?"

Mu Lingshi looked at her in surprise before waving her hands at the waitress beside the bar. Soon, someone quickly sent two glasses of wine over.

"I'm pretty bored, so I just came here to take a look."

Xi Xiaye took the wine from Mu Lingsi. "Your brother came back late last night. He's here today too. Are you used to the work here?"

"Is Brother back?" Mu Lingshi took off her glasses and seemed thrilled. "No wonder Bro Su Chen brought some people over. I'm fine. Things are alright here. It's much more structured than when I was in France, and the managers here are very capable. I only need to give them minimal instructions. Where's my brother?"

"He's drinking with Su Chen and the others. I just came over to check on you. Do you want to join us?"

"Let's go!" Mu Lingshi then went forward on her own.

When they arrived at the room, the men were all drinking happily.

"Lingshi, come here!" Su Chen greeted when he saw Mu Lingsi.

Mu Lingshi nodded as she glanced through the whole room. She swiftly found Mu Yuchen sitting on the sofa with some cards in front of him. She rolled her eyes at them. "Can you guys not always drink and play cards when you gather?"

Mu Lingshi went over and sat down beside Su Chen. On the other side, Xi Xiaye sat down beside Mu Yuchen.

"We were just talking about you and you're here! Lingshi, I remember that you sing very well. During the singing competitions in high school, you always came out at the top among all the contestants, didn't you? Even Xiaoying had to admit defeat."

It was Su Hai talking. He was from the same batch of students as Mu Lingshi and Mo Xiaoying, and because of Su Chen's relationship with Mu Yuchen, he was close to Mu Yuchen as well.

Knowing them well, Mu Lingshi offered a suggestion. "I'll give you guys a chance here. Doesn't Bro Su Chen have a marvelous voice as well? You guys can ask him to sing some songs, or you guys can play cards and whoever loses will sing. I'm sure you guys have done that a lot before, haven't you?"

"With what's going on, do we want to play truth or dare?" Su Chen touched his nose and chuckled. His eyes glanced over at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

"I..." Xi Xiaye wanted to decline, but before she could answer, Su Hai and the others already started distributing the cards. She frowned as she looked at the man beside her.

He seemed calm as he glanced back at her and took a look at his card. The others were checking out their cards as well.

Feeling helpless, Xi Xiaye was forced to join the game.

For several games, it was always Su Hai and Su Chen. The questions everyone threw were odd and peculiar, and Xi Xiaye found out that Mu Lingshi could be pretty wild if she wanted to.

After another round, Mu Lingshi asked Su Hai who had lost, "Did you give your first time to your left hand or the right?"

Su Hai's face blushed as he coughed lightly. After a long hesitation, even his wife Xiaoying started laughing. "Be quick and tell us! We're going for another round!"

Su Chen stared at her with his sharp eyes. Su Hai was a little scared and quickly responded, "Left hand!"

"Pfft!" Mu Lingshi spat some of her drink out!

"So, you really rubbed it out yourself?"

"Lingshi, you're messing with me aren't you!"

"Haha!"

Xi Xiaye was surprised and almost could not react. After a while, she looked over to Mu Yuchen, who was still sitting there calmly with a smile on his face.

The next round, Xi Xiaye was "it" and it was Mu Yuchen's turn to make a request.

"Bro Chen, make her kiss you right here!"

"No, Bro Chen, make Sister-in-law confess to you!"

"Chen, I think you should just ask Xiaye to give you a kiss!"

...

Xi Xiaye's face looked a little strained as she looked at the man beside her, shooting him a warning glare.

Mu Yuchen's expression was gentle. He grinned as he flicked the card with his finger. Then, he looked into Xi Xiaye's eyes and asked in his deep voice, "Truth or dare?"

Stunned, she could not find the right words to say as she stared at him squarely in the eyes. After a while, she replied, "Truth..."

"Up until this point, who do you think's better: him or me?" He asked quietly.

"Of course, you're better!" Naturally, Xi Xiaye knew what he was asking about. It was not a difficult question at all. He was the one who treated her better anyway, so she replied almost instantly.

Mu Yuchen was satisfied with her answer. He nodded as the smile on his face grew wider. It was a pass.

Su Chen and the others were horrified.

"What? That's it?"

"That's obviously cheating, isn't it?"

"No way. Do it again! Again! We'll make sure they get it again!"

The whole bunch then started penalizing the couple. They used all sorts of tricks to catch Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, and tried to ask her all kinds of embarrassing questions.

"How many times did you guys do it the first time with my brother?"

"I think it was two times."

"It's three!"

...

They were really having fun until an urgent knocking rapped on the door. The crowd froze and looked over at the door.

The one who came in was Mu Lingshi's temporary assistant, Xiao Yu! He seemed frenetic and nervous when he came in.

"Director Xi, Manager Mu!"

Xiao Yu could only recognize Xi Xiaye and Mu Lingshi.

"What's wrong?" Mu Lingshi noticed that something was not right with Xiao Yu, so she asked with a frown while she still held the cards in her hands.

Xiao Yu stopped beside her as he quietly said, "Something's happened outside. A new waiter bumped into Master Qi's female partner and poured drinks all over her. Moreover, they even broke his partner's necklace, so he wants someone to compensate them and he wants to see our manager now."

Mu Lingshi frowned as her eyes darkened. She put the cards in her hands down and stood up. Then, she took the sunglasses out from her pocket and put them on before heading outside.

"I'll head over for a bit. You guys have fun."

She left the room after saying that. Xiao Yu made an apologetic bow to Xiaye and the others before leaving and catching up with her.

"What happened?" Su Hai frowned after Mu Lingshi left the room. He glanced at the door and quickly looked at Mu Yuchen. "Is someone causing trouble? Things seemed pretty okay this few days. I didn't see any conflict taking place."

"That person just now seemed pretty anxious. It must be quite important. Should we go and take a look?" Mo Xiaoying asked in a worried tone.

Su Chen's expression was calm. "Don't worry. The current Lingshi isn't the same Lingshi as before anymore. She's not an easy opponent to deal with."

Su Chen's gaze locked onto Mu Yuchen when he was talking. He gave it some thought before continuing, "I kept watch for the past few days. Some people were causing trouble, but Lingshi dealt with all of them flawlessly. I can only say that I'm seeing her in a new light."

Mu Yuchen put his cards down and his expression darkened slightly. After a brief moment, he asked, "Didn't I ask you to keep watch on Qi Lei? Did he and his people do anything odd?"

Su Chen tensed up after Mu Yuchen spoke. His hands gripped the cards tighter before he threw them on the table and looked at Mu Yuchen.

"Qi Lei has been coming here very frequently. After Zimo called me, I came here almost every night, and I bumped into him every single time. He probably came tonight as well."

Suddenly, Su Chen remembered something as he went over to the glass window. He opened the curtains and looked down as he continued, "I think Zimo's analysis is right. He's probably targeting Lingshi. His motive is questionable!"

Su Chen was watching outside, and he saw the situation underneath. Before Mu Yuchen could even reply, he called out to him quietly, "Chen, come over here and see what's happening!" His voice sounded doubtful.

There were several people standing near the corridor beside the overly crowded dance floor. A lady in a pink dress with heavy makeup seemed to be scolding the waiter before her. She was even poking the waiter's chest as she spoke.

The waiter was blocked by two bodyguards in black suits while he lowered his head and apologized. There was a man in a gray suit beside the lady.

With that evil-looking face and an odd grin, accompanied by a wicked aura all around him, who else could it be aside from the Master of Qi Kai, Qi Lei?

Another manager was trying to help out, but he was dragged aside by another bodyguard.

"Chen, isn't that Qi Lei from Qi Kai? Tell me if that's him!"

Su Chen's face started to frown and his face turned cold. A harsh light flashed in his sharp eyes as he turned over and looked at Mu Yuchen.

Mu Yuchen looked downstairs, cold light gathering in his eyes as they started to harden.