In the afternoon, the rain continued. The happy tune from the rain droplets dancing reached their ears. On the sofa beside the large window, Xi Xiaye used Mu Yuchen's lap as her pillow as she watched the hazy world outside.

Mu Yuchen was on a call with Vice President Zhang Lan.

"Please take care of the South River project. Director Xi is taking leave for several days. She'll send you a list of things to take note of and the work to be completed later on. Remember to submit the proposal tomorrow. Call me directly if there are any issues."

"Noted, Chairman Mu. I've been following up on this project as well. I'll take care of it. Have fun with Director Xi." Zhang Lan laughed.

"Mmm." Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply before hanging up.

"Isn't this a little too much? I should be handling the project... It feels like I'm lazy at work." Xi Xiaye turned her head around and looked at him.

He put his phone aside. "Be lazy then. We're taking our wedding photos soon. I've always wanted you to rest more. You should only get back to it after our wedding. Things should be on track by then and you don't need to feel so tired."

"I wanted to go on a strike, but I'm also worried that I'll degenerate from laziness."

"Nothing wrong with a woman handling the household. What's the point of you working so hard?" He chuckled as he ran his fingers through her beautiful, long hair.

"Because I hadn't met the strong Mr. Mu back then... Who wouldn't want to become a little woman who's loved and cared for? Well, most women are really amazing now. They can be a strong, tough woman on the outside, and transform into a little woman back at home. All the strong and kind people should receive blessings from above."

She was looking at him with her beautiful eyes as she said this calmly. She grabbed his hand on her waist and held them. Through their palms, they could feel each other's temperatures, enabling them to feel each other more deeply.

"When I found out that an accident had happened and I couldn't call you, I was really afraid... So I..."

Mu Yuchen's heart softened as he smiled. "I never knew you were such a klutz. You didn't listen to everything Li Si said and hung up... How can anything happen to me before I marry you officially into the Mu family?"

"My phone drowned in the rain. It can't be used now..."

"I've asked them to get you a new one. It'll arrive soon."

"The Pu Er tea here is pretty good. Don't you like this tea nowadays? I'm heading to the tea shop tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

He nodded with a smile. He had never told her that he changed all the tea at home to Pu Er or flower tea because he found out she had a little stomach infection. Pu Er was known to be good for gastrointestinal conditions.

Xi Xiaye never noticed that ever since she stayed with him, she had proper meals at appropriate times and stopped having gastric ever since.

...

Inside the Vice President of Glory World's office in City Z.

Qi Lei came over to deliver the completed proposal personally. However, he frowned when he did not see Xi Xiaye. He hesitated for a moment when he saw Zhang Lan. "Isn't Director Xi in charge of this project?"

Zhang Lan gave him a business-appropriate smile. "Director Xi is on leave for a while. She's probably busy preparing for her wedding photoshoot with Chairman Mu, so I've been assigned to take over this project temporarily. Please do come to me if you have any questions regarding this project, Vice President Qi. I'll be handling it for now."

Qi Lei's eyes darkened when he heard Zhang Lan's update. He was getting uncomfortable inside. He wanted to ask her out for dinner as a token of appreciation. Of course, this time was just to thank her.

She had done almost all the preparations for them in order to get the proposal done as soon as possible while he had only spent less than half a day to get it completed.

He never expected her to be such a meticulous and serious person unlike how he saw her on the surface, cold and rigid.

After giving it some thought, Qi Lei could not help but ask, "When is she coming back to work?"

"I'm not sure. Director Xi is pretty exhausted from working on this project, so Chairman Mu would probably want her to rest longer."

Zhang Lan smiled as she looked at the document in Qi Lei's hand. "Vice President Qi, you must be here to deliver the proposal, aren't you? Director Xi told me about it. You can just pass it to me."

Qi Lei then decided to give it to Zhang Lan. He extended his arm to his assistant, Yang Sheng at the back, who handed him a gift box.

"This is my gift for Director Xi as a token of appreciation for her help last night. Please thank her for me."

Her help last night?

Was Director Xi not in City B right now?

Zhang Lan was doubtful as she looked at the gift box Qi Lei handed over. After some hesitation, she did not take it and replied instead, "Since it's a token of appreciation, wouldn't it be better if you handed it to her personally when she returns to work?

"I think I'll leave it to you. I don't know when she'll be back. It might take a long time, no?"

Qi Lei let out a wicked laugh before leaving the box on Zhang Lan's office table. He then proceeded to turn around and leave.

Zhang Lan put on a bitter smile as she looked at the gift box, then she sat down and started looking through the documents.

...

"Master Qi, Chairman Mu and Xi Xiaye aren't really going to have their wedding, are they? I heard the Mu family is starting to make preparations recently."

The assistant, Yang Sheng, asked when they walked out of the Glory World Corporation office, "Could it be the first of May? It's coming up in a few days, but there's been no news about it at all!"

Qi Lei did not reply immediately as his eyes darkened. "I haven't been back there for several days. How's the situation?"

Yang Sheng instantly understood what Qi Lei meant by "there". It was the Qi Residence!

"Master Qi, CEO boarded a plane to Los Angeles this morning. Your mother hopes that you can go back. Ms. Xian Er has been accompanying her for the past few days and she likes her a lot. Ms. Xian Er is quite sweet. Everyone says she's rather easygoing."

"Just how much benefit did you get from my mother to help her convince me right now? That Xian Er is not my type at all. Tell my mother to send her away before anything happens!" Qi Le huffed impatiently.

Yang Sheng was startled when he noticed Qi Lei getting into a bad mood, but he still tried to persuade him, "Master Qi, Elder Madam is just worried and anxious for you. She's very uneasy that CEO still hasn't handed over the company to you. Ms. Xian Er comes from a well-known family and she's pretty. On top of that, she has liked you since a long time ago. This marriage is nothing but beneficial for you!"

Qi Lei's expression turned cold.

"Master Qi, I know you don't like to listen to this, but I'm just stating the truth. Elder Madam doesn't like Ms. Gu, and it's impossible between you and Ms. Gu, so why do you still cling onto her?"

Yang Sheng was familiar with Qi Lei's mother. He had been assigned to help Qi Lei when Qi Lei first entered Qi Kai. After working with him for so many years, he was well-informed about Qi Lei's circumstances.

"It doesn't matter whether she likes her or not. I hope all of you can shut up regarding anything between me and Sha Sha. I don't want anyone talking about her."

Qi Lei was getting irritated, and a pain started to blossom in his chest everytime this was mentioned. All of this heartache originated from a woman called Gu Lingsha!

"Then, Master Qi, Ms. Xiaye..." Yang Sheng asked carefully.

"Observe Mu Yuchen's actions. He seems to be investigating my old man. I want to know what he finds out. Even I don't know what my own father is doing! Mu Yuchen has spent several years and doesn't seem to have achieved much as well." Qi Lei laughed coldly.

"Master Qi, do you think First Master and Ms. Gu are still alive? Was it really CEO who saved them back then? Elder Madam suspected it was the Gu family and that CEO is just bait. If that was not the case, the Gu family wouldn't have kept quiet all along! Elder Madam hinted to CEO for you to take over the company for so many years, yet he did not respond..." Yang Sheng analyzed and voiced out his thoughts.

Qi Kai's CEO Qi Qiming loved his eldest son, Qi Feng, and was cold towards his wife's son, Qi Lei. It was a well-known fact in the circle, yet Qi Lei's mother held a large amount of Qi Kai's stock.

Qi Qiming planned to leave Qi Kai to his eldest son, Qi Feng, to take over. Qi Lei's mother, Wang Qin, obviously disagreed, so Qi Feng and Wang Qin had a rough fight back then, and Yang Sheng had witnessed all of it.

Qi Feng had put a lot of effort in to take down Wang Qin, but she was not a weakling. She was powerful and very experienced in the business world.

"Master Qi, you're actually smarter than First Master. If you can change your personality slightly, CEO might favor you. You know he likes obedient people..."

As Yang Sheng kept on with his persuasion, Qi Lei chuckled at him coldly. "Do you think I need to be a dog like him and bow down to the old man? He thought he was talented, but he's nothing without the old man!"

After saying those words coldly, he headed into the car.

Yang Sheng watched from the back and sighed.

Qi Lei would become oddly frustrated whenever these topics were brought into conversation. For the whole day, he would be in a bad mood, and most of it was because of Gu Lingsha.

...

At the same time, in West Park, there was another equally frustrated Xi Xinyi.

Xi Xinyi had been discharged that morning, but she did not go back to Han Yifeng's villa and went back to West Park instead. She did not mention a word about what happened between her and Han Yifeng.

"Xin Er, you haven't fully recovered yet. Are you sure you can start working now?" Deng Wenwen looked at Xi Xinyi hesitantly.

"I can do it, Grandmother. I don't really have much to do now anyway. I'll just start working and learning now so that I'll have an easier time in the future. There's still Mother and Yifeng around to help me out. I'll move back for this period of time. Firstly, it's to spend more time with you and Grandfather. Secondly, I can report on work to you daily. I think I'll be able to catch up very soon." Xi Xinyi gave a humble reply while her exhausted expression seemed very pitiful. She tried to put on a calm act, which worked because Deng Wenwen seemed much better when she saw Xi Xinyi holding up.

"I'm glad that you can think this way. We can't really do anything about the Han family, so focus on your career for now. I don't think they can still ignore you after you give birth. I know Elder Han very well. He'll never abandon the offspring of the Han family, so don't worry."

Deng Wenwen's eyes still looked sharp as she laughed coldly. "What we need to do now is keep calm and not do anything reckless. Lingsi, I know your friction with Mushan has been getting worse lately, but don't go and look for Shen Wenna because of this. It might trigger Xiaye and things will get even worse. As for Xinyi, be careful, I hope nothing similar will happen again."

"I understand, Grandmother. I won't make those mistakes again. I promise to make Yueying better since it's the result of hard work from you and Mother. Please believe in me! I'll put in all my effort into Yueying. I can do it with the help of Yifeng and Mother as well as my maternal grandfather!" Xi Xinyi sounded very confident. Her eyes seemed determined as well.

After all, she had a trump card!

Even if Xi Xiaye had Mu Yuchen guarding her back, she believed that if they had the will, there would be a way to break her.

"Mmm, as long as you're aware. Go to work tomorrow with your mother. I've informed the stakeholders beforehand, so they are still behaving now, but you still need to be careful yourself."

Deng Wenwen let out a long sigh, sounding tired. "This company will still be handled by you two in the future. I hope I won't be disappointed."

After putting in so much for Yueying, in the end...

For a brief moment, Deng Wenwen had an odd feeling. She was doubting her decision back then! She had traded her whole life for Yueying, and now Yueying was being handed to Xinyi. What did she really get in the end?

She could not get Xi Jiyang's love or children of her own...

She did not get anything a woman should. What had she been doing all these years?

She started to feel empty inside...

As she thought about it, Deng Wenwen halted, and suddenly in a daze, without hearing what Yue Lingsi had said, she slumped onto the sofa!

"Grandmother! Grandmother! Are you okay?!"

"Mother! Are you okay?!"

Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi were instantly shocked. They quickly helped Deng Wenwen up together.

"Quickly get her medication!" Xi Xinyi urged.

Yue Lingsi quickly took the medication from the drawer on the side and got several pills out for Deng Wenwen to swallow.

She lay down on the sofa to ease for quite a while before Deng Wenwen finally broke free of her dizziness. When they saw her eyes open, Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi were relieved.

"Grandmother, you scared me! You've been worried about my problems recently. Now, you should start to recover yourself. Leave Yueying to me and Mother," Xi Xinyi said gently as she sat down near Deng Wenwen.

Deng Wenwen caught her breath. Her health really was not been how it had been in recent days, especially after she was hospitalized the last time. Now, being disturbed by Xi Xiaye and Xi Xinyi's drama, she felt extremely worn out.

"Mother, find time to relax with Grandmother. Everyone's been quite down recently, so it's good to go out for walks too. Tomorrow, I'll get tickets for a recent concert. When you've got the time, bring Grandmother out."

"I won't be going to any concerts. Help me upstairs to rest first," Deng Wenwen said, clearly fatigued. Then, she struggled to get up.

Xi Xinyi and Yue Lingsi exchanged a look before nodding. "Okay then..."

...

After they helped Deng Wenwen to her room, the mother and daughter returned to the living room once again and sat down close to each other.

"Your grandmother makes sense. Just leave the Han family be for now. This time, when you join the company, you must win over everyone's hearts as quickly as you can. There are already quite some people leaning towards Xiaye that witch, and some directors and actors have also been in touch with her. Caitlin that witch has already signed on with Yueying. She came over under Glory World and became someone under Xi Xiaye. Especially now that the company has begun to unearth new talents, Xi Xiaye and their end have been grooming quite a number of newcomers. In fact, with a veteran artiste like Caitlin to keep things up, they are really making things quite dazzling."

When this was brought up, Yue Lingsi's expression was gloomy as the dark sky blanketed with dark clouds. Her gaze was extremely cold too. "If this continues, she's going to be ahead of us very soon. When it comes to many of the important decisions in the company, it might reach a point where they make the decisions. They're already getting above our heads! They might even be doing it on purpose."

"Mother, don't be too worried. I'll take note of it. When I join the company, we should introduce some newcomers ourselves. We have the Han Corporation and Qi Kai supporting us on our end. There's no way Xi Xiaye can turn everything on its head and get ahead of us. The connections that we've worked hard to build aren't something that Xi Xiaye can easily ruin as she wishes, so don't be too worried. I have my ways, Mother, trust me!"

Xi Xinyi's eyes were filled with confidence, yet, even so, Yue Lingsi could notice that after she was discharged from the hospital, Xi Xinyi had a change in personality. She seemed to have become a whole different person, yet she could not put her finger on what had changed.

Yue Lingsi thought about it, then nodded. "We'll go with what your grandmother said then. We'll stabilize them for now, and not provoke that witch, Xiaye, but we won't let go of this so easily!"

"Of course, and that goes for Shen Wenna, Mother. I'll definitely help you get back at them."

...

Xi Mushan had not gone home for the past two days, but he always came back to see Xi Jiyang before he left again. It was as if he was very busy. He had always spoken very little to them, so Yue Lingsi was already used to it. After their huge argument a few days ago, the husband and wife did not exchange another word, not even a word of greeting. Yue Lingsi could feel that apart from being hostile, Xi Mushan seemed to have become more resentful towards her.

They had been married for over 20 years now, but it seemed as if their hearts had never touched. Forget about touching, they did not even have the chance to brush shoulders!

When she thought about this, Yue Lingsi could not help but feel aggrieved and sorrowful. She sat down quietly and did not hear what Xi Xinyi said.

...

The mother and daughter sat just like that. After a while, the sound of a car from the outside was heard, then the maid's voice followed. "Mayor, you're back!"

Xi Mushan was back!

The mother and daughter subconsciously looked at the door. Indeed they saw Xi Mushan walking in from outside. He even held a green bonsai. Inside the pot, a little sapling was growing with a lot of vitality. The tender green leaves swayed gently with Xi Mushan's steps.

At this moment, there was rare tranquility on Xi Mushan's face.

When Xi Xinyi saw Xi Mushan come in, she could not help but call out to him, "Father!"

Xi Mushan then looked up. When he saw Xi Xinyi get up, his expression turned slightly rigid and he nodded. "Rest well."

"Thank you, Father, I will. What plant is this? It looks very vibrant. Is it for Grandfather?" Xi Xinyi very quickly walked up.

"Your grandfather's not been in very good health, so I bought him a pot of plant to make things livelier."

Xi Mushan's stern and handsome face looked indifferent. He took a glance at Yue Lingsi who seemed like she was about to walk up to him too. Then, he coldly averted his gaze and walked toward the stairs.

Xi Xinyi blocked his path as she quickly said to Xi Mushan, "Father, Mother says that it's a good day because I was discharged today, so she's planning on cooking. Stay home for dinner tonight."

"No thanks, I have dinner plans, you two celebrate yourselves," Xi Mushan said apathetically, then he walked upstairs without as much of a second look at Yue Lingsi.

When she saw Xi Mushan gradually walk up the stairs, Yue Lingsi's expression turned extremely gloomy. Her teeth almost turned to powder from grinding. She had to use up a lot of will to suppress the anger that surged up in her chest. Breathing heavily, she glared at Xi Mushan's figure.

Xi Xinyi frowned and watched Yue Lingshi who seemed like she was about to explode. She advised softly, "Mother! Don't be angry! Don't be like this. Otherwise, you'll wake Grandfather and Grandmother up!"