At this moment, Mu Lingshi swiftly headed downstairs.

"Manager Mu, that woman was really angry. Manager Liang said that he'll take care of it, but that woman is persistent. She seems to be Master Qi's fiancèe. Manager Liang was afraid of offending Master Qi, so he asked me to talk to you," Xiao Yu explained to Mu Lingshi as he walked behind her. "That woman demanded that all the managers of our club apologize to her. She's being super unreasonable!" Xiao Yu seemed infuriated.

Mu Lingshi's expression darkened. Her eyes behind the pair of large sunglasses turned cold as she put on a chilly smile. "She'd better not be messing with us. If not, I'll make sure she knows what I'm made of!"

"Manager Mu, that's Master Qi's woman!" Xiao Yu pointed out worriedly. Mu Lingshi hastened forward.

"What now? Are you not happy? Do you know how precious this dress is? Lei bought it for me. Does everyone here have the same attitude as you? Do you think you can really compensate for this? Where's your manager? I want to speak to your bosses!"

Enraged, the woman kept prodding the waiter's chest. She looked like she was about to explode any second. Her trendy pink dress was drenched in alcohol and she looked kind of awkward.

The waiter before her kept on apologizing profusely, but it was not enough to ease the woman's rage.

She had spent so much time and effort dressing herself up for a date, and with what just happened, her mood was absolutely ruined!

The woman was still berating the waiter. Mu Lingshi could not stand it anymore, so she went forward and grabbed the woman's hand as the irate woman pushed the waiter away. Then, Mu Lingshi pushed her hand away fiercely.

"Who are you!? How dare you touch me? Get lost!"

The woman stumbled slightly and grabbed onto Qi Lei after Mu Lingshi flung her hand away. She barely managed to balance herself.

"We'll compensate you however much your clothes cost, but do you really need to run your mouth and be this mean?" Mu Lingshi's frigid voice reached the woman's ears like a sharp needle. "Look for me if you have any issues. How much does your outfit cost? Name me your price." She snapped in a cold and emotionless, official tone.

Mu Lingshi's attitude towards people varied. She would never go soft on someone like her. Otherwise, the woman would just become more and more aggressive.

"Long time no see, Ms. Mu! Do you still remember me?"

Suddenly, Qi Lei, who had been watching the whole thing, spoke up. He sounded cheeky and he did not put on any particular expression.

Mu Lingshi lifted her head, noticing Qi Lei when she walked over. She had seen him around for the past few nights as well. Every time he came here, he would be with a big group of people, so it would be odd if she did not notice him.

"The well-known Master Qi, how could I forget you?"

Mu Lingshi laughed coldly before glancing at the woman beside her. "Your taste in women seems to have gotten worse. Are you okay being with a woman like her? You sure have a unique taste!"

"What now? After so long, you still speak so sarcastically, huh?"

"Lei, if she doesn't know how to speak properly, then we'll have to educate her well. Wearing such huge sunglasses at night, does she think she's being mysterious? I can't stand people like her..."

The woman was already offended by Mu Lingshi, and the degrading comment about her made her extremely uncomfortable.

Mu Lingshi glared at her before averting her gaze to Qi Lei. "What happened tonight is just a mistake from my employee. We'll compensate you. Plus, we've apologized anyway. If you want to cause trouble, I'll play along."

"How dare you talk like that?!" The woman yelled coldly as two bodyguards in black suits stepped forward.

"That's how I talk! What now?" Mu Lingshi stared at her coldly when the woman approached her. She raised her hand at the back as several club bouncers came near.

"Master Qi, do you really want to cause trouble at our place tonight?"

Mu Lingshi had an intense vibe around her. She was not at a disadvantage at all when facing Qi Lei. Instead, she pulled her sunglasses down slightly as she looked at Qi Lei with a cold smile.

A cold light flashed through Qi Lei's eyes when Mu Lingshi pulled her sunglasses down. He put on a grin. "It seems like it's not just a certain someone who has had it tough all along these years. I actually feel much better when I see you guys not doing so well. I wonder if Mu Yuchen could still remain calm when he sees your face?"

Mu Lingshi's expression changed as he shot Qi Lei an icy stare. "These things have nothing to do with my brother. You don't have to blame him. Those two idiots took it upon themselves!"

"Brother? Haha... Ms. Mu, I remember your brother's name is Mu Lingtian, isn't it? That's your real brother, and now you're calling Mu Yuchen your brother like he actually is. Don't you guys feel any sense of regret for Mu Lingtian's death?"

"We can't control life and death. Someone else should be regretful instead. Death doesn't mean you're able to avoid an issue. Furthermore, aren't you happy that Qi Feng died? You didn't really like him, did you? I'm sure you hoped that he'd disappear and the whole of Qi Kai will be yours! From what I understand, you should be really grateful for that accident. Why act like you're hurt about it? It's terribly fake," said Mu Lingshi as she slid her sunglasses back up.

Qi Lei's smiling face darkened when he heard Mu Lingshi. His eyes turned sharp as he glared at her and his voice sounded chilly as well. "You'd better not let me hear something like that again! Just how much people do you think Mu Yuchen has troubled?"

"If you still intend to cause trouble here, I don't mind saying even harsher things. I heard you're the Vice President of Qi Kai now. I almost forgot to congratulate you! It's really unfortunate. If Qi Feng was still alive, your father would've let him inherit the President's position already, wouldn't he? Sometimes, I really doubt that you're your father's biological child. Have you guys taken any DNA test?" Mu Lingshi was delighted to see the terrible expression on Qi Lei's face!

Qi Lei's demonically handsome face turned cold. All over him, there was a hostility that shrouded him. Even his date could feel it clearly. She could not help but tremble and look worriedly at him.

"Hey, watch your mouth!"

That woman then glared at Mu Lingshi as she clung onto Qi Lei, yet he shook the girl's hand off. Icily, he walked up to Mu Lingshi and looked down at her while she remained fearless with her back straightened, staring right back at him.

A while after, Qi Lei was not angry and laughed instead. The bitterness on his face was instantly concealed as he sneered and nodded. "You're one with a gift of the gab!"

"I'm like that to certain types of people. Master Qi, if you're just here to whittle the time away and support this place, I, Mu Lingshi would welcome you very much, but if you're here to cause trouble, then don't blame me if I'm not courteous!"

Mu Lingshi's tone was resounding. When she said this, the few bodyguards behind him came up. Even Qi Lei's date could not help but pull at his sleeve, hinting at him. Then, she glanced down at her dress that was already turned to shreds.

"Cause trouble? You sure it's us looking for trouble and not your people who are useless? Otherwise, how would you explain this tonight? This dress is a limited edition. You might not be able to buy it even if you had the money! Hmph!"

The woman finally became so mad that she shot Mu Lingshi a look. Her tone was very sharp while her eyes were filled with disdain and condescension. She took a glance at the scar on Mu Lingshi's face that could not be hidden by the sunglasses, and her bright red lips curled up.

When Mu Lingshi heard that, her gaze darkened. She subconsciously examined the dress on the girl, and when she saw her disgusted eyes, her hands that hid under her sleeves clenched slightly tighter.

"What's wrong? Unhappy? Is there no one else in your club? How did they get someone so hideous to rouse the crowd? Aren't they worried that you'll scare the customers?"

When the woman saw Mu Lingshi's face that hardened, she laughed out loud delightedly. "How dare you talk about others? You should take a look at yourself!"

"Do you want to die?" Mu Lingshi's fists clenched tighter. Her beautiful eyes that hid beneath her sunglasses were already colored with a flash of coldness. She was worried that she would not be able to hold back her punch!

At this moment, Xiao Yu's voice came from behind. "Director Xi!"

"Hello, Director Xi!" Manager Liang's voice came through too.

Mu Lingshi subconsciously turned to look too. Then, she realized that Xi Xiaye was walking over, still on the phone.

"Okay, please send it over right away. Mmm, right away."

Then, Xi Xiaye nodded to Manager Liang and the rest. Her gaze very quickly fell onto the woman beside Qi Lei as she said plainly, "I've got the latest spring dress from Dior's XX series. Even though it's limited edition, that doesn't mean we can't afford to compensate you. The dress is being sent over right away. Miss, I'm sure you must be an honorable daughter of a prestigious family, but the way you bully others is a little overboard. Besides, I think Master Qi should know whose turf this is."

When Qi Lei saw Xi Xiaye, his faintly cold face suddenly flashed with a smile. He called out rather intimately, "Xiaye!"

Xi Xiaye frowned as she looked at Mu Lingshi whose expression could not be fathomed. She then reached out to gently hold one of her fists that was clenched tightly underneath her sleeve. Subsequently, Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and eased a little.

When Qi Lei saw that Xi Xiaye did not reply, he was not angry. Instead, he grinned and asked again, "Did you like the flowers I sent?"

"Thank you, Master Qi, for the kind thought. The flowers were too low quality, so I just gave them to the janitor of our Planning Department. I told you that I only accept roses that are made of gold or embedded with diamonds. Didn't you hear me right?" Xi Xiaye answered rather calmly.

"Who are you?! You're so..."

When Xi Xiaye responded that way, the woman's face instantly sank. She was about to say something more when Qi Lei pulled her away and walked up to Xi Xiaye. He stared at Xi Xiaye through squinted eyes for a long time, then smiled demonically as he whispered into her ear, "I didn't know you liked such tacky things. I like them too. Very well. I like that very much. If you're friendlier to me, I'll just forget about tonight. How about that?"

"I can get the bouncers to chase you two out. I can try if you don't believe me!" Xi Xiaye turned over slightly and said calmly.

"What a heartless woman! I came all the way here just to see you. I even dreamt of you every night! Why? Don't you believe me?"

Xi Xiaye did not wait for Qi Lei to finish. She just said, "Manager Liang, please see Master Qi out. I'll send this lady's dress over later on."

"Why are you so...?"

The woman's expression darkened. She wanted to curse her more when Xi Xiaye's resounding voice came through. "Didn't you hear me? Send them out!"

"Yes, Director Xi!"

Manager Liang and the rest were then shocked. They realized that quite a lot of people had started to pay attention to the commotion, surrounding them. In turn, they quickly responded.

"Master Qi, this way!"

Manager Liang braced himself as he walked up and indicated for Qi Lei to leave.

The smile on Qi Lei's face became wider, yet it looked rather sly. He lowered his body slightly and whispered into Xi Xiaye's ear, "Are you just going to embarrass me like that? To be honest, this is the first time I'm being this patient with a woman. Why can't you just see my sincerity?"

Xi Xiaye scoffed, turning away and not even bothering to take a look at him.

When he saw that Xi Xiaye did not respond, Qi Lei rubbed his nose and laughed demonically. "Okay, today I brought a vase out and caused trouble. Don't be angry. I won't do this next time, but don't you dare doubt my sincerity."

Then, Qi Lei straightened and faintly smiled toward a certain direction behind Xi Xiaye. Then, he abruptly turned and left.

When the woman saw Qi Lei leave, she groaned and then followed the black-suited bodyguards.

When she saw Qi Lei's figure vanish at the end of the walkway, Mu Lingshi turned to Xi Xiaye and asked softly, "Sis-in-law, do you know Qi Lei?"

Xi Xiaye lowered her gaze as it turned sharp. "We have some grudges."

Hearing this, Mu Lingshi nodded gently, pushing her sunglasses that slid down slightly up and contemplated for a moment. Then, she said, "If that is so, Sis-in-law, I hope that you won't get too close to someone like him. The Qi family goes deep... In fact, they have grievances with us Mu family..."

When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was startled. When she was about to ask something, there were already footsteps from behind.

"Bro!"

The two of them turned to look and saw that Mu Yuchen, Su Chen and the rest were walking over.

Before they got closer, Su Chen's voice was heard and it held a hint of hostile sharpness. "Have they left?

"They've left!"

Mu Lingshi's expression quickly returned to normal. She shrugged and looked toward the empty walkway. "He's become even weirder and unfathomable compared to a few years ago. I can't tell what his motives are."

Su Chen stopped in front of her and said, "If you could tell, he wouldn't be Qi Lei. Even I can't guess what he's thinking."

"Ah Chen, I think he might be here to target you. You should be more careful yourself. I've already been watching his entry and exit movements, hoping to find any hints."

Then, she turned to look at Mu Yuchen whose expression was calm as usual while his eyes shifted mysteriously. "Actually, that incident never ended. Once you returned, they could not hold back either. Okay, it's late. I'll be going back first. Same thing, if you need your bro, just let me know," Su Chen said, then lifted a hand to pat Mu Yuchen shoulder before he walked ahead.

...

After Su Chen left, the husband and wife returned to Maple Residence. Along the way, they did not talk much until they reached home and had a simple shower. Xi Xiaye began to prepare the documents for the tender meeting the next day.

"Actually, Qi Kai's quite confident about this project too. They've spent tonnes of effort this time. They maintained a good partnership with the Han Corporation, which has been doing quite well in developing this place and they have a good reputation. The collaboration of those two companies is quite a huge pressure on us."

Xi Xiaye kept the documents in the briefcase as she looked up at him casually lying on the couch in front of the shelves and reading.

"In fact, in terms of materials, Qi Kai seems to fare better than other companies, so I was thinking that even if we get this project, when it comes to project materials, the government might still consider Qi Kai. Take Qi Kai's Lighting City for example. Almost a third of the entire City Z includes them. If they plan to develop according to the proposal, I can't guarantee the government will immediately accept the musical fountain..."

Xi Xiaye did not continue, but Mu Yuchen understood what she meant.

"We'll see what happens at tomorrow's meeting. Even if that is so, that's just a small part of it. Give that part of the proposal to them and let them squander it."

Then, he closed the book in his hand and slowly stood up before walking towards her.

Xi Xiaye, who was tidying up, saw him standing by her side and looking at her with a darkened gaze, so she asked, "What is it?"

"Pack these things up tomorrow. We only start at 9.30 a.m. tomorrow, so let's rest earlier tonight, hmm?"

He took the documents in her hand and set it aside on the table. Before Xi Xiaye could react, he had already grabbed her by the waist and was walking towards the bedroom.

The husband and wife lay underneath the blanket. Suddenly, Xi Xiaye asked while watching the muslin curtains that swayed gently above, "Are you unhappy? Because of Qi Lei?"

"Why do you ask that?" He answered very quickly.

"Because you've been frowning ever since we left the club. All the way you didn't talk to me either. I want to know what happened... Why would Qi Lei have such prejudice against you, and..."

As Xi Xiaye said this, she turned to look at him, yet she saw that he had already closed his eyes and did not respond.

When she noticed this, she could not help but feel a coldness flash through her. She sighed and did not continue as she watched him for a while, then turned away with her back facing him.

Quite a while after that, when Mu Yuchen did not hear her continue, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. When he saw that she had his back towards him, his eyes hardened. Without hesitation, he reached out and rolled her over, then pulled her into his embrace. "Are you angry?"

Xi Xiaye ignored him. She just struggled and pulled her blanket, yet he had locked her down firmly. "This isn't a good habit. You're not allowed to turn your back towards me..."

"I don't want to talk to you," she said, her tone clearly sounding upset and unhappy. Mu Yuchen could not help but chuckle at this. He slowly reached up to touch her head, and said softly, "I didn't say I won't tell you. Some things are too remote. You've got to let me think about how I should tell you about it."

"Then, why won't you tell me what's up?" She glanced up at him from his embrace.

"It's all unhappy things... I remember that I told you about Lingtian's accident before. Do you remember?" He said softly, his still eyes seeming vaguely sorrowful and dazed.

Xi Xiaye nodded as she said calmly, "It's Lingshi's brother. You said that he passed away in a car accident..."

"That night was a rainy night, and the roads were slippery. After the car brushed past a truck, it skidded straight down the steep slope. Lingtian passed away right away. As for the other two people in the car, one of them is Qi Kai's eldest son and Qi Lei's elder brother, Qi Feng. You might not have heard about him. He was a new performer in the business world and was pretty talented. He joined the business world a few years before me while I'd just retired from the military quite recently then. Grandfather arranged for me to further my studies in New York, and I was tasked to handle the branch company over there..."

Qi Feng!

When she heard this name, Xi Xiaye was startled. She had been paying attention to this name for the past few days. To say that he was the Prince Charming among the many young ladies who were from prestigious families in City Z would not be an exaggeration!

Just like how Mu Yuchen was right now!

Not only did he have an outstanding appearance, but he was also brimming with talent and was all-powerful in the business world.