Mu Yuchen's eyes darkened as he looked at Xi Xiaye quietly after she spoke up.

Xi Xiaye held the glass in her hands tightly and sighed. "Some time ago, Ah Shi looked for Caitlyn. They didn't mention it, but I know you guys have been struggling with it, so I convinced Caitlyn and her manager Sis Li who worked under Sis Lan before."

He glanced at the paper and asked, "You went to meet them this afternoon?"

Xi Xiaye nodded. "Mm-hmm, I went to see them and to find out more. I suppose it'll help us in the search."

She reorganized her thoughts before looking back at him again. "Do you still remember that I asked you if you knew a man with the surname Wen?"

He looked downward quietly and nodded.

Xi Xiaye took a deep breath as her tone started to become heavy. "I heard from Sis Li that Sis Lan and Aunty were very good friends. After Aunty passed away, she'd come back to visit her grave during the Qixi festival [1] every year, so I think their relationship must be special. At least, I think Sis Lan knows something about Aunty that we don't.

"Sis Lan didn't get married. They said she had a boyfriend before and everyone called him Mr. Wen. He seemed to be a son from a prestigious family back then, but they didn't get married afterward and no one knows why. As for this Mr. Wen... I think that there's something odd about him. Remember yesterday you asked me what was wrong and why you couldn't get through to my phone?"

"You told me it was because Lingshi talked about Aunty." He glanced at her with a sharp gaze. "But I know that isn't all."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You and your all-seeing eyes. I can never hide anything from you. You always see through me easily."

He smiled quietly. He could never tell her that he had already grasped what kind of personality she had, and already knew all about what she was thinking.

"Actually, I was followed when I left Ah Shi's house. I wanted to shake them off quickly. However, when I entered the tunnel, they had cars block me from the front," she stated calmly.

However, the expression of the man beside her shadowed. His calmness from before vanished and his features were taken over by a darkness within him as he stared at her. "What did you say?"

Xi Xiaye blinked and then looked downward. She glanced at his clenched fists and quickly grabbed his hands. "Don't worry. They didn't harm me. I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if they did."

"Explain!" he demanded coldly.

Xi Xiaye nodded and then continued, "They only stopped me and wanted to give us some advice. The person inside the car called himself 'Mr. Wen'. He was wearing a cap and sunglasses, and I couldn't get anything out of his voice either. He also talked about settling some business with you. I can sense that he has grudges against you.

"Do you think this Mr. Wen is the same Mr. Wen mentioned by Sis Li? They were both mysterious and difficult to grasp. I guess they might be related in some way. While these coincidences feel unreal, I think we'll be able to make a huge breakthrough by reaching Sis Lan!"

Her eyes flashed with various emotions, including doubt, worry, and a mix of other things.

Mu Yuchen just listened quietly without replying even after a while she was done talking.

After some time, he looked at her with his sharp eyes as he glanced all over her. He asked in a concerned tone, "Did they do anything to you?"

Xi Xiaye shook her head. "Not really. They just stopped me and asked me to pass you the message. I thought he might be working for Qi Qiming. The accident in City B and the wedding dinner might be their work, and his so-called advice might be just to invoke a sense of fear in us."

He let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like there was a need to get her a personal female bodyguard as soon as possible. Ah Mo did say that the person was ready.

He did not reply on that matter, so Xi Xiaye then looked at him in puzzlement. "Don't you have anything to say?"

He leaned back against the sofa. "I know about Sis Lan whom you mentioned. When my parents investigated, they looked for her as well, but didn't manage to get much out of her. From what you've said, she seems to be pretty important. We can try looking for her again."

"Can you take a look into Mr. Wen as well? I think this person is mysterious and very dangerous. He mainly acts in the dark, and I heard that he holds a huge grudge against you. Have you been offending a lot of people all these years?"

"Your Mr. Mu is just an ordinary businessman who fights for profit. Of course, there'll be a lot of conflicts involved, but don't worry. I'll get people to look into this. Where did they stop you?"

"The second tunnel after leaving the city, but they didn't do anything to me. Don't worry."

Xi Xiaye put the glass on the table and then looked at his conflicting face as she asked quietly, "Do you really not know Mr. Wen? I think he'll leave an impression even if you've just met him once. He had this kind of aura around him and he should be someone of high societal position as well. Hence, I feel that he should be the Mr. Wen that Sis Li mentioned. If we find Sis Lan, we can probably find out more about him very soon."

"Mmm, I really don't know any Mr. Wen, but if it's like you said, we'll be able to find out about him after a quick check."

"Great, I heard Sis Lan will be returning during the Qixi festival. Let's head over then."

She kept the piece of paper.

"The Qixi festival, huh?" Mu Yuchen mumbled to himself.

Xi Xiaye nodded doubtfully. "Mmm, the Qixi festival. What's wrong? You don't look that great..."

Mu Yuchen lifted a hand and gently held his head. He relaxed for a while before saying softly, "Mmm, Aunty passed away on this day."

When he said this, Xi Xiaye was stunned and she turned to look at him. His gaze remained still as water, yet he did not say anything for a long while.

"I'm surprised that someone would remember that day. Grandfather and Grandmother probably don't remember anymore since they forced themselves to forget."

He leaned against the sofa, his eyes a little dazed as if he was recalling something. His expression was calm and distant too. "I remember that it was a very lively Qixi festival that year. After a long period of recovery, Aunty's depression seemed to be improving. Even if it was a day of festivities, my grandmother wanted to go out for a walk with her, and at the same time, get some new clothes for her. They brought Lingtian along too. He was very young then, barely five years old. It was so long ago..."

When he reached this part, he seemed to struggle with recollecting the memories. After all, it had been such a long time ago.

"Just as they were on the way to Jing Wang Mall in the north of the city, when Grandmother wasn't paying attention, she jumped from the rooftop of the ninth floor, and then she was gone. Now, that mall has been rebuilt, and it continues to flourish, seeming even livelier than before."

"Father says that actually, Aunty was someone who was afraid of being alone. She had chosen the liveliest street in the north of the city to end her life. Perhaps that was fast. Lingtian was very much like her. Sometimes, you'd find that it was hard for him to blend in with everyone else. The reason grandfather had found Ah Mo was actually because of him. Lingtian, Lingshi, Lingmo... He named them like that. To others, the three of them are extremely close siblings, and all of them are children of Father and Mother."

"Grandfather and Grandmother really put in a lot of thought," Xi Xiaye lamented and sighed. "That way, they wouldn't feel too desolate. I believe that all of your childhoods were quite happy."

"The Mu family favors females over males. It's not that they don't care about the boys, but because they wanted to train them to be independent, so they would be more demanding of them. Grandfather, Father, and I are classic examples. Back then Aunty was very cherished in the family. Father and Mother doted on her too. They always treated her like a child that would never grow up.

"So, when that happened to Aunty, they blamed themselves. They felt like they should take part of the blame for causing the tragedy."

When she heard this, Xi Xiaye knew what he meant. She suddenly felt like this story had happened to her family too. Was her mother, Shen Wenna, not a living example of it?

However, Shen Wenna was slightly luckier. At least, Xi Mushan truly loved her. Even if they could not get together all these years and their feelings had simmered down, it never seemed to have died out. As long as the winds of spring were blowing, those tame flames would reignite again.

Yet, for Mu Zixi...

She had loved so innocently, then...

Love was a type of scary poison. It could cause someone to lose themselves in it, to fall, and to be destroyed, yet it could also make someone rise up and above, prevailing over everything.

She dared not comment on anything about Mu Zixi. She only knew that Mu Zixi still protected that man till she died, so she must have really loved that man. Nonetheless, it was also because of that that her love seemed even starker again the man's neglect and indifference.

...

The blistering hot June passed. In a flash, midsummer had quietly slipped through their fingers. Soon, it was a cool July. The hot and stuffy weather from before had started to turn cool from a few jubilant showers. It was getting closer to the Qixi festival, and such cool and refreshing weather was much more comfortable for everyone.

For quite a long time, Xi Xiaye had been busy with the South River project. Of course, she had also begun to follow Shen Yue and familiarize herself with the property business. Mu Yuchen was busy with work too. In their hectic lifestyle, the husband and wife would leave home early and return late.

In consideration of Xi Xiaye's safety, Mu Yuchen almost never left her side. Otherwise, he would make sure she had a bodyguard everywhere she went. That way, they could also avoid unnecessary breaches in safety.

Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were still abroad. Xi Xiaye heard that Shen Wenna seemed to be recovering well. When she called her a few days ago, she told Xi Xiaye that she could vaguely see a blank whiteness unlike before when she could only see a vast darkness. When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was very excited because this meant that Shen Wenna's eyes seemed to be slowly recovering. Soon, she could probably see again.

Xi Mushan never left Shen Wenna. He personally took great care of her. From the daily conversations, she could vaguely hear Xi Mushan's increasingly lighthearted tone. Xi Xiaye thought to herself, one day, Shen Wenna would be moved by Xi Mushan and return to his side.

Shen Yue seemed to be smiling more recently. Apart from being thrilled and hopeful for Shen Wenna's recovery, it was also because Xi Xiaye could often be by his side.

Xi Xiaye was quite capable, so she picked things up quickly. With Lan Zilang and everyone else's help, her induction into the business had been comparatively easy. In fact, with Mu Yuchen's expertise, Xi Xiaye did not find it hard to cope with everything.

By the time the purple magnolias by her window had withered, Xi Xiaye met Ji Zitong, a girl who was cold as ice besides being reserved and incisive that one dared not look straight at her. She was the female bodyguard that Mu Yuchen had specially chosen for Xi Xiaye.

She had served in the army before and her family owned a martial arts center. She was well-versed in Yongchun and Muay Thai. Being deftly skilled, she could even exchange hands with Ah Mo for quite a few rounds without being defeated. Apart from that, she was also a cadet that Mu Yuchen and the rest had watched over while they all served in the army. Mu Yuchen only found out about this when Ah Mo brought Ji Zitong over.

As he sat at his desk and flipped open the information that Ah Mo handed him, Mu Yuchen muttered softly, "Ji Zitong?"

After a while, he looked up at the quiet girl before his desk.

Her long hair was casually tied into a neat bun. She wore a pair of canvas shoes and a fading gray tracksuit. With a fair and graceful face, her twinkling eyes were filled with a sharp and cold light. Despite not being a beauty or anything, at least, she had the good looks of a pretty daughter from a humble family.

Ji Zitong's sharp eyes quickly flitted to Ah Mo, Li Si, and several other bodyguards as she said calmly,

"Hello, Chairman Mu. I'm Ji Zitong. Everyone can call me Zitong."

With a nod, Mu Yuchen briefly browsed through the information at hand, then he abruptly closed the folder.

"I vaguely remember you, Ji Zitong. You came in top three for that year's devil-like training camp. You're quite capable." Mu Yuchen made a simple comment.

He, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo had retired from service after they finished that training. It had already been five or six years since then. Back then, Ji Zitong seemed to have been recommended with the new recruits despite only being 18 or 19 years old then. Now, a few years had passed, and she was already over 20 years old now. She had shed her juvenile features from back then, so she now looked much sharper and steadier.

"Instructor Mu, you've got a good memory," Ji Zitong coldly answered.

With a smile, Mu Yuchen set aside the document in his hand and looked her from the side. "Ah Mo has already told me about you. You're skilled and have high awareness too. Your counter-reconnaissance skills are strong too. Well, I'm very happy with everything. I'm sure Ah Mo has already told you roughly the tasks you need to do."

"I will do my best to ensure Missus is protected!" Ji Zitong responded in a firm tone.

Mu Yuchen nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad. Your job is to protect her, and be her personal assistant."

"Okay, you've met everyone now. All of you, work with each other," Mu Yuchen concluded. Then, he called Xi Xiaye's office for her to come up.

Over ten minutes passed before Xi Xiaye arrived. She pushed the door open and saw the people standing in the office. She was even momentarily stunned, especially when she saw Ji Zitong. Her eyes were filled with doubt as she examined her, then squinted at Mu Ycuhen.

"Xiaye, come. This is Ji Zitong. She'll be your personal assistant from now on," Mu Yuchen introduced calmly.

"Hello, Director Xi. I'm Ji Zitong. You can just call me Zitong." Ji Zitong bowed indifferently.

Xi Xiaye then remembered that Mu Yuchen did say he was going to get her a female bodyguard, especially after he found out she was blocked at the tunnel. She had already rejected him once, but unexpectedly, he just got someone to come right away.

She thought about it and knew that it was a crucial period right now, so she just acknowledged, "Hello, I'm Xi Xiaye. You can call me Xiaye."

"Okay, now that you've met each other, from today onwards, you must carry out your duties well. Ah Mo, bring her down to settle in first. All of you can leave too." As Mu Yuchen gave his last orders for the session, he reached out to pull Xi Xiaye in.

Ah Mo nodded and brought Ji Zitong out.

Xi Xiaye placed the documents in her hand in a corner of his table and asked puzzledly, "Do you know Ji Zitong?"

"I was her instructor when I was still serving in the army, but she should be even closer to Su Chen. Back then, Su Chen made her do drills after drills. She's quite skilled, so I sort of remember her. She hasn't changed much. She's just become more mature and steadier than she was."

"It's been so many years now, but you can still remember how she looked like? Did you notice her from back then?"

When Mu Yuchen told her all this, Xiaye immediately felt afflicted. Her beautiful eyes darkened and glared at him. Even though her tone was casual as always, she could not hide the jealousy that colored it.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen instantly chuckled. He circled her waist with his arm helplessly and smiled. "What do you have there in your head? I only found out when Ah Mo brought her over. She's not my type. Do I look like the kind of person who would make a principled error?"

"Who knows!?" Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him.

He was at his wit's end as he spread open his hands. "Well, if you're not happy then we can change to another one."

She then smiled and shook her head. "Forget it. I was just messing with you."

"I know you are. However, Su Chen does quite like this type. Elder Su has been troubled by Su Chen's matters recently. If you do have some thoughts, you could put your skills to use. Aren't Ah Mo and Lingshi doing alright now? Su Chen's turning 33 soon, yet he doesn't even have anyone," Mu Yuchen admitted. He was starting to worry about his buddy's happiness.

"How do you know he has no one? In fact, with Su Chen's status, he doesn't seem like someone without a girlfriend."

"I know well enough whether he has anyone or not. Apart from having a crush on our art teacher back in school, he really hasn't fancied any other women. He's as clean as a sheet! Sadly, you don't have any single friends. Otherwise, with such a good resource, wouldn't it go to waste?" Mu Yuchen glanced at Xi Xiaye, lamenting about what a pity it was.

When Xi Xiaye heard this, she immediately widened her eyes and looked in disbelief at Mu Yuchen as she cried out, "Really? He is Deputy Chief Mr. Su, Deputy Chief of the Traffic Control Bureau, yet he has never dated anyone or had a girlfriend. Who'd believe you?"

"What is so unbelievable about that? Wasn't I like that before I met you? His elder's hardcore, a classic old revolutionary. He has very high expectations of Su Chen too. We were in the army for so long. Naturally, we didn't have time to care about these things. When he returned after leaving the army, he furthered his studies abroad for over a year. After that, he was sent back until now. Zimo says that because he missed the art teacher he had a crush on back then. He even checked on her, but she got married a long time ago and by then, her child could already run around. When this fellow found out, he even got himself drunk, denying that he would ever like anyone else."

When Mu Yuchen recalled this, he could not help but guffaw out loud.

"Was your art teacher very pretty?" asked Xi Xiaye as she blinked her twinkling eyes with curiosity.

Mu Yuchen nodded. "Very pretty! She was a very gentle woman and she had dimples when she smiled. Su Chen liked her like that. When she smiled, Su Chen would be entranced. Come to think of it, it was a little embarrassing.

"But he should have turned over a new leaf by now. That was just a brief interlude in your innocent youth. All things considered, he seems to be a rather pure and simple person."

He smiled when he recalled the interesting stories of their youth and felt nostalgic.

"Okay, let's not talk about these. Right, we finally have news about Sis Lan that you mentioned. She'll be rushing back to City Z the day after tomorrow. She's flying in from Italy."

"The day after tomorrow?"

As Xi Xiaye listened, she paused. Then, she remembered that it was the Qixi festival in a few more days.