The air abruptly fell silent. You could only hear the sizzling sounds from the barbeque.

Xi Xiaye watched Mu Lingshi silently and she noticed a rare sorrow and gloom on her face. Then, she gently patted the back of her hand that was on the table. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Upon hearing this, Mu Lingshi instantly smiled and shook her head as she lifted her drink. She tilted her head back and downed the contents of her glass.

"It's fine. It's just part of the past. When it's mentioned, I can even reminisce once in a while," she said calmly and her face started to redden. With her scar, she seemed a little sinister. For some reason, the light in her eyes had turned lonely and bleak, and Xi Xiaye felt her heart ache at this sight.

"I heard that not too long after Mother gave birth to me, she fell into a deeper depression. Unable to handle it, she ended her life and didn't leave anything behind for Lingtian and I. I don't even know how she looks like. Only when I grew up did I find out how she looked like from the photos or newspaper clippings." When Mu Lingshi said this, she paused and stared at the pen, lost in thought.

Xi Xiaye sighed to herself. She silently poured more whiskey and did not know how to console her. "Your brother says that Aunty was a very great person and I've seen her photos too. I'm sure she was a very wise woman. For a beautiful woman to face death at such a young age wasn't her intention either. Perhaps she was burdened with something. Maybe it was pressure. We wouldn't know, so it's understandable."

When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Lingshi shook her head sadly, her beautiful eyes immediately could not help but glitter with tears. "No, Sis-in-law, she wasn't a good woman. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given birth to Lingtian and I. We are just illegitimate children who don't even know who our father is! The Mu family's reputation was ruined by her. Grandmother almost wanted to kick her out, but she still protected that man and didn't spare severing ties with Grandfather and Grandmother. To me, she doesn't even deserve to be a mother. How could someone like her be a wise woman?"

Mu Lingshi took a deep breath and sniffled as she picked her drink up and downed it in a few gulps again. She was so swift that Xi Xiaye could not stop her in time.

"When we grew up, Lingtian and I never gave up on trying to find that man, but because of her intentional protectiveness from before, we had no leads at all. Father told me that she fell in love with a man who could never marry her, so...

"I don't understand. If he could not marry her, why did he want to be with her? He couldn't give her anything, yet he had her and us. Don't you think such a man is incredibly shameless? Even I feel like the blood flowing in me is filthy, yet I have no way of changing this reality."

Mu Lingshi's words were filled with helplessness, sadness, and anger. One could tell that she definitely resented her mother, Mu Zixi, and her biological father whom she did not know. Such resentment had even festered for many years. In fact, it might even have deepened day by day.

Xi Xiaye sighed softly and fell silent for a while before picking up her drink and taking a sip. Then, she said softly, "I once heard a song that went like this—

"Perhaps love makes one blind, undaunted by dangers. Love keeps us captive; whoever love surrenders to rushes into loneliness besieged by a blaze... A memorable love can easily trap us; we would perhaps be willing to do even the silliest thing. This is the power of love; we can't help but be moved..."

Xi Xiaye seemed to sympathize. Even the smile that flashed on her face looked a little bitter too.

"But these things aren't worth it. Even if she was willing to give up everything, how did that man treat her in the end? She gave birth to Lingtian, and then me, and when she fell deep into depression, where was he? He never appeared to see her even once, not even a single time when she needed it most. How could there be such a dumb woman? Alas, I am the evidence of their stupidity!"

Mu Lingshi frowned and poured herself another glass. Her cold voice contained disdain and mockery.

"Maybe it wasn't about whether something was worth it, and only about whether one was willing. This struggle isn't something anyone would understand, so we can't be too harsh with our criticisms, Ah Shi. Perhaps Aunty has let you down in many ways, but I believe that she must have loved you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted on giving birth to you and Lingtian."

Xi Xiaye's eyes were teary while she fixed her eyes on her. "I heard your brother say that you've been trying to look for your biological father, especially quite recently."

Mu Lingshi closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and only opening them after a while. She nodded and downed another glass. Lifting a hand to wipe the moisture at the corner of her mouth away, she said indifferently, "That's right. I want to find out who this irresponsible and shameless man is! Why did he do this to us? He must've known about Lingtian and my existence, yet he just abandoned us without a care. Mother lost control and ended her life, leaving us behind all lonely. Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, and Mother were extremely worried because of this. So that we wouldn't be any different from other children, they even let us adopt the surname Mu, and become Father and Mother's children."

As Mu Lingshi said this, her hands could not help but clench into balls of fists.

Xi Xiaye could only nod gently, indicating that she understood her anguish.

She calmly lifted her drink and said to Mu Lingshi, "Okay, don't be sad now. We'll do our best to find him for you, but I still hope that you can appreciate what you have now before you think about anything else. This peace doesn't come easy, thus we should cherish it."

Mu Lingshi's gaze met her twinkling eyes that contained warmth, and she sniffled before nodding. She put the gift box away and lifted her drink as she smiled. "Sis-in-law, thank you, I feel like every time I talk to you, I feel much more relieved. You're a very good listener. Love makes one blind, undaunted by dangers... Who can explain these complicated feelings?"

"Maybe because those who are trapped aren't just them." Xi Xiaye smiled ambiguously and offered a toast to her before elegantly taking a sip.

"Mmm, I'm afraid that I'm trapped myself. Otherwise..."

"Have you gotten to know Aunty's past? See if you can find any clues?" Xi Xiaye picked up a slice of beef that was grilled perfectly before putting it onto Mu Lingshi's plate

Mu Lingshi nodded in consideration, shooting her a grateful look and accepting the meat.

Mu Lingshi finished chewing her food, and then took a napkin to wipe her mouth before softly answering, "Of course, I've checked. Previously, Caitlin's manager's teacher worked for my mother, so she must be quite familiar with her. However, I've asked Caitlin before, and they know nothing about those incidents. Furthermore, they've already long retired, so I couldn't find her."

When she said this, Mu Lingshi could not help but feel defeated as she lowered her gaze sadly.

"Caitlin?"

Xi Xiaye's eyes flashed with a memory of Caitlin's figure. She hesitated for a moment, then she asked, "Did you tell her who you were?"

Mu Lingshi shook her head. "Everything about Mother is a taboo. All these years, because Grandfather and Grandmother concealed it well, all these were never exposed. If they'd known that Mother was pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to us, before she ended her life because of depression, the entire City Z would probably go crazy!"

She smiled bitterly.

How was she supposed to face all of this with an identity that could not be exposed? Even if it were not for that, she would still have to be considerate about Mu Zixi's reputation.

All the rumors said that Mu Zixi could not take the pressure and fell into depression before she passed away from an illness, yet not many knew the real reason behind her tragic death.

Xi Xiaye nodded and fell silent for a while. "Alright, let's not talk about this. We'll definitely find him. Have something to eat now."

"Okay, this is grilled quite well. Sis-in-law, you should try it too. What do you think of the texture? It's quite nice, isn't it? Later on, take some home for Brother too."

"Keep it for yourself. He doesn't like to eat these kinds of things much."

"Just let him try. Ah Mo enjoys it."

"Ah Mo? Right, where are you and Ah Mo at right now?"

"What do you mean where? We're not up to anything!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"I'm going to ask Ah Mo tomorrow. With such a beauty living right next door, how could he be so calm?"

"Sis-in-law! Why are you teasing me too?!"

...

When she left Mu Lingshi's villa, it was already past 9 p.m. Mu Lingshi had drunk quite a lot, but because Xi Xiaye knew that she had to drive, she only had a few sips.

Mu Lingshi was practically staggering unsteadily on her feet as she sent Xi Xiaye out. Fortunately for the previous arrangement, there were servants and bodyguards stationed in the villa. After the accident in City B, everyone became much more vigilant.

Xi Xiaye opened her car door and then turned to say to Mu Lingshi in concern, "Okay, go back now and quickly take a shower. Sleep well. You've drunk quite a bit tonight."

Mu Lingshi smiled sweetly. Then, she could not help but burp again. Her eyes turned a little misty as she looked at Xi Xiaye and waved. "I'm fine! Even if I drink a few more glasses, I'll be fine. Tonight, I had a lot of fun. I haven't had this much fun in a long while. Sis-in-law, thank you. Come over more often!"

"Take it easy. As long as you had fun. Bye!" Xi Xiaye waved back at her as she closed the car door and swiftly started the car.

Then, the black car sped away and vanished amidst the waning streetlights.

Mu Lingshi stood where she was for a long while before she snapped out of it.

...

She drove out of the villa area and reached the wide roads after some time. The villas were in the suburbs, so she needed to take the highway back to the city.

The highway was very quiet at night, and there were not many cars around. From time to time, she would see a thin, long light flash past her. Xi Xiaye habitually drove swiftly while playing fast music in the car and leaving the window down. The refreshing wind streamed past her and she seemed much more relaxed.

The car speedily turned at a roundabout as Xi Xiaye propped her head up with a hand by the window by habit while the other hand controlled the steering wheel. She sped ahead, then she saw the car in front slow down. Just as she was about to slow down, her clear gaze unexpectedly caught sight of another car in her rearview mirror!

That black Santana!

Xi Xiaye remembered that when she left Mu Lingshi's villa area, it had already been following her from behind!

She had already driven through quite a few junctions, yet it was still following her!

Was she being followed?

Xi Xiaye's mind flashed with the possibility of a stalker, then she quickly thought of something. She fixed her gaze in the rearview mirror for quite a while. The car that had rushed up from the junction earlier gradually slowed down while the car behind her continued to pursue her.

She had a bad feeling as she squinted coldly ahead at the car that slowly stopped. They planned to intercept her by stopping in the middle of the road. A glimmer flashed through her eyes while a sneer curved on her lips. She floored the accelerator and drove straight ahead.

Whoosh!

Because the car was so quick, it flashed past like a bolt of lightning fleeter than one could blink. The car that had just slowed down ahead had not fully come to a stop when the car behind Xi Xiaye rushed up and spun all of a sudden!

There was the sound of the tires squealing in protest.

Screech!

Heralded by the brakes screeching, one side of the Porsche lifted a little as it did a beautiful drift, and very promptly recovered.

Xi Xiaye deftly steadied her car and stared at her rearview mirror again. She realized that the car behind had already turned around and continued to chase her. With a wry smile, she jammed the accelerator hard, making her car race ahead at the speed of light.

Swoosh, swoosh!

The car continued to chase her wildly at a horrific speed.

Xi Xiaye did not even have the time to guess who was chasing after her. Still, she felt like a bundle of nerves. This person was probably trying to trap her.

When she thought about this, that scene from the washroom during the banquet flashed in her mind again. Would it be the same this time?

She was already driving fast enough, yet the person behind was not slow either. His or her car had clearly been modified. Although it could compare to Xi Xiaye's car, it would definitely find it hard to catch up with her.

The car was like a whistling hurricane as it raved ahead like mad. With the wild chase whizzing on the quiet road, many of the cars that they brushed past were forced to stop, especially those coming from the opposite direction. The drivers could not open their eyes because of the extremely bright headlights. As the cars hurtled by, the angry sounds of curses were heard, yet they instantly faded away with the strong wind.

This was the only highway that headed toward the city center. In order to ditch them, she had to hastily return to the city. There were very few cars on this road, similar to the Ninth Crooked Bend near the Grand Waves Villa Area. They were both newly developed areas, so Xi Xiaye dared not slow down!

A strong gust of wind came and before the fallen leaves could settle on the road, the car behind was catching up with her!

Xi Xiaye's heart strained with anxiety. They managed to catch up with her quickly even though she could escape earlier. The quiet highway became their race track, and they would soon be entering a tunnel ahead.

It was a long tunnel with many curves. With the dim lights inside, it was an accident hotspot. Xi Xiaye was forced to slow down as it was difficult to control the car on a winding road.

The whole tunnel was empty with dim lighting. There were no other cars around except for the car that followed behind her persistently. As Xi Xiaye got used to the driving and was about to speed up, a strong, bright light came from in front when she was about to step harder on the pedal. She could not open her eyes. Instead, she shielded the bright light with one hand while stabilizing the steering wheel with the other as she braked!

At the same time, a loud screech came from the front.

The loud screech broke the silence, and Xi Xiaye bumped into the steering wheel as the car stopped steadily. Although the headlights from the car in front were still lit, she could see there was a car blocking her way in front.

There was another squeal of brakes that came from behind too as the two cars from earlier finally caught up with her.

Xi Xiaye quickly wound the window up and put both her hands onto the steering wheel. Her eyes were alert as she stared at the car right in front.

The bright lights were finally switched off, allowing her to see more clearly. It was a luxurious black car blocking her way. The door of the front passenger seat opened, and a man in a black suit with sunglasses came down and was walking towards Xi Xiaye's car.

When he walked up to her car, she noticed that the large sunglasses covered nearly half of his face, so she could not see him clearly. She tried to take a look at their plates and then noticed the cars were unregistered.

"Miss Xi Xiaye, our boss would like to see you!" The man went beside Xi Xiaye's car and knocked on the window. His deep voice traveled through the tiny window gap, and she could not hear him clearly.

Xi Xiaye was stunned for a moment. Her eyes turned sharp as she glanced at the man. She then stared at the car in front of her coldly. "Who are you people? Why are you blocking my way?"

"If you'd like to know the answer, Miss Xi, why don't you come with us and find out?" replied the man in the black suit coldly.

"I don't know you people. You lot had better let me go. Otherwise, I'll call the police!"

"You can't get any signal inside this tunnel, Miss Xi! Please get out of the car. Our boss would like to meet you. Otherwise, don't blame us for being rough," he threatened impatiently.

Xi Xiaye's expression darkened. She quickly picked up her phone and noticed that the signal bar was empty!

Damn it!

They set her up!

When had she been targeted? She did not notice them at all!

She glanced at her surroundings. The people from the two cars behind got out as well. They looked like street thugs wearing flowery shirts and dark sunglasses. They were all walking towards her car with their arms crossed menacingly.

Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as she realized how dire the situation was. They were not leaving and she was not able to go anywhere being sandwiched there with them surrounding her now. They might smash her car even if she hid inside!

Who was it?

Who would use such an intricate plan to trap her?

Xi Xiaye's chest tightened. She took a deep breath before winding her windows up and turned off the engine. Of course, she was holding a baseball bat in her hand when she opened the door.

"Back off!" Her expression was frigid as she aimed the bat at the man in the black suit.

The man smiled coldly and backed off. Xi Xiaye closed the door and slowly walked forward toward the black car.

The window of the passenger seat of the luxurious car suddenly rolled down as she walked nearer. Under the dim lighting, she saw a man with a baseball cap and sunglasses reading the newspapers.

She could not see the man clearly since the newspaper blocked most of his face. She only managed to see that he had an average build with a mysterious face. In general, he seemed pretty tanned.

Xi Xiaye halted her steps when a deep voice reached her. The voice was evidently deepened intentionally, so she could not guess the man's age.

"Miss Xi, you're pretty good at driving. My people spent a lot of effort to stop you. You're really something." His tone of voice held a teasing note but there were no other emotions in his words.

Xi Xiaye held the baseball bat tightly in her hands as she stared at the man in the car and demanded, "Thank you. Who are you and why did you stop me?"

The man in the car suddenly laughed. He averted his eyes from the newspaper to Xi Xiaye, taking her in and smiling. "Miss Xi, you seem pretty vigilant. Are you worried that I might harm you?"

"If you can stop the nonsense and tell me who you are and what you want, I'll be grateful." Despite sounding tough, she was afraid. Her gut feeling told her these people would not be easy to deal with, especially since she had no idea when she had been targeted!

"You're pretty straightforward, but you can take a guess." The man smiled as he lowered his head and started reading the newspaper once again.

"Back off! Don't come near!"