She completely surrendered to the man's farsightedness and mannerisms.

Because of his trust, she felt that her heart was filled with warmth. After thinking about it, she then reached out to gently hold his hand that rested on her thigh. His cool temperature seeped through her palm, so after a while, it became warm too.

It did not matter what others said about her as she did not care. She was only worried about how he would react. However, no one would be comfortable hearing such words, even more so since he was such a prideful person.

"Mr. Mu, I made a mistake. I admit it. Be magnanimous and forgive me this one time, please. You know that Qi Lei and I are innocent..."

She finally could not help but sincerely apologize, surrendering for once and lowering her head meekly. Her slender fingers peeled his long fingers open one by one before she paused and looked up at him again. When she saw him still ignoring her, she could not help but mutter, "You said that you wouldn't fuss about it the other day, and now you're like this. Using their words, Mr. Mu, you've become tsundere ."

She did not dare continue after that because he clutched her hand and stared at her with his unfathomable gaze. Guiltily, she peered down and did not look into his eyes.

"Can you explain what tsundere means?"

She dared not utter another word and just silently looked at his hands.

He lowered his head and stared at her for quite a while. Upon seeing that she did not make another sound, he lifted a hand and knocked her head gently. "I accept your apology, but where's your sincerity?"

When he finished, Xi Xiaye immediately looked up and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.

That was her token of sincerity!

He was quite calm to see her like this. Eventually, the anger in his heart instantly faded away. He was obviously not willing to let her off so quickly, thus he pulled her into his arms, and his thin, cold lips planted itself on her pink ones. He recklessly tasted her and had a few minutes of bliss before letting go of the panting girl.

He chuckled softly and said, "You're quite self-aware these days."

"I'm very innocent, alright?" She gasped and looked helplessly at him. "But Qi Lei is still considered an upright gentleman. This is a different matter. If we can all rationally handle the problem, that would be for the best."

She was glad that everyone had not allowed all these problems to get to their heads.

"Why do you sing such high praises of him? If he's an upright gentleman, then what is your Mr. Mu to you?" He squinted at her and smiled faintly as he looked at her swollen lips.

She fixed her clothes by the shoulders that he had wrinkled as she answered without a second thought, "Shark, thug!"

He then laughed out softly.

After a while, she could not help but ask, "What do we do then? If we don't clarify this matter, it won't be good for either Qi Lei or I. That person's sinister motives..."

When he heard this, the light in his eyes shifted. Moments after that, he said, "Wait!"

Wait?

Xi Xiaye was obviously puzzled. She felt that the way this man handled things was like deciphering clues, and she could never figure out his plans.

Meanwhile, her doubts were going to be resolved on the night itself.

They had just returned to the Maple Residence when Mu Yuchen received Qi Lei's call. The second the call got through, he looked at her very delightedly before deciding on a venue for dinner with Qi Lei.

At 8 p.m. that night, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye appeared in a high-profile manner at a very famous French restaurant. They booked the entire restaurant and officially invited the young master of Qi Kai for dinner to thank him for saving Xi Xiaye. On top of that, Master Mu, who had always been low-profile, even gave Qi Lei a unique present. It was also meant to be his birthday present — a feast of fireworks!

That night, in the distant night sky of City Z, a lavish display of dazzling fireworks that ran for almost two hours was released. All of the fireworks spelled out the words "Happy Birthday, Master Qi!" "Bless Qi Lei With Longevity!" and so on. Almost the entire city knew that those were presents from the couple, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye, to Qi Lei to express their gratitude!

Qi Lei stood on the roof of the restaurant as he laughed bedazzlingly.

It was a bright and colorful feast for everyone's eyes. Underneath the romantic fireworks, all of the rumors were discredited, and many people guessed that Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye must have a unique relationship with Master Qi.

...

The night was cool and the crisp breeze blew calmly. The fireworks in the night sky had ended. After the beauty had passed, what remained was a long silence.

On the roof, Qi Lei looked at Xi Xiaye, who was watching the starry sky, by the railings. He softly expressed, "I'm so happy about tonight."

His handsome face lacked its usual demonic charm. Now that she looked at him, he seemed quite calm.

"I've thought of a lot of ways from his point of view. Apart from suppressing those reporters or holding a press conference to clarify this matter, I never would have thought there could be other ways to calm this storm. I never even would have thought of this way. Not only can it take down the rumors, but it even... seems like I'm really not as good as him," said Qi Lei calmly.

A wry smile flashed across his face as he sighed softly. "Actually, if it were not for Shasha's thing, it would be a very joyous thing to be his friend."

Gu Lingsha?

When Xi Xiaye heard that name, she suddenly turned her body and looked at him silently. Upon noticing sorrow between his brows, she fell silent for a while, then said calmly, "Some things have happened, and you can't change that. I'm not trying to help him be absolved of anything. All these years, because of that incident, he hasn't been doing very well either. I believe that he..."

"I hope you can let go of that past. I know that perhaps I don't have the right to say these things to you, but I think that you know very well that this time's incident... should've be done by someone with a motive."

As he listened, Qi Lei silently closed his eyes and sighed deeply. After a while, he opened his eyes again. "I'm well aware."

During the afternoon meeting, quite a few shareholders already expressed their dissatisfaction with him while Qi Qiming remained neutral. Wang Qin worked hard to defend him as he responded, feeling discouraged too. Right now, he could not tell if the person who stirred things up had been trying to go against Qi Lei or targetting Mu Yuchen, or were they planning to kill two birds with one stone?

Wang Qin insisted that it was Qi Qiming's work. Even though this was highly likely, Qi Lei still had many doubts.

If it really was Qi Qiming, that meant Qi Feng was still alive, but Qi Lei and Wang Qin had both gotten people to investigate, and they could not find any traces of Qi Feng. They even heard about Gu Lingsha's news from Mu Yuchen.

All these years, where had Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha gone?

Was all of this meant to indicate that Qi Lei's position was threatened?

XI Xiaye could feel the sorrow emanating from him.

These days, she had been hearing a lot about Qi Lei. Shen Yue previously told her that Qi Qiming did not like Qi Lei while Qi Qiming and Wang Qin's relationship...

When she thought about this, she suddenly felt rueful. Actually, she understood how he felt too since she had lived the past 20 over years all alone while being burdened by pressure from many aspects, not forgetting Xi Xinyi setting her up on the sly, Han Yifeng's indifference...

He must have gone through rough days all these years. Unexpectedly, they shared such similar experiences!

Xi Xiaye looked down at the pedestrians milling about on the streets when she suddenly spoke softly, "Every time I was disappointed, I'd always think that I'm tired of struggling. Years ago, when I was expelled by the military academy, I thought of jumping down from the university rooftop, to let death end all my troubles and prove my innocence. When Han Yifeng abandoned the marriage contract and escaped far away with Xi Xinyi, my heart ached so badly. I wished I could just die from intoxication and be done with it! When I was forced to sign the papers for the transfer of shares and made a bargaining chip, I was disheartened."

As Qi Lei listened, he paused momentarily. Suddenly, he turned to look at her, yet he saw that her expression remained calm.

"I thought that I was really unlucky. Despite my efforts of accommodating, and even making myself miserable, couldn't Lady Luck just be on my side for once? After that, I realized that there are many things in this world that won't go our way even if we try so hard to make it work."

"I heard that you used to love that Han Yifeng a lot, didn't you?" Qi Lei looked at her and asked softly.

Xi Xiaye was startled as mixed emotions filled her twinkling eyes, yet they quickly recovered to their initial clarity. Without denying it, she answered calmly, "Han Yifeng was my fiancè who had been decided upon since we were young. As soon as I could understand, I already knew that I was going to be his bride, so I've always chased after him. Back then, he was very nice, excellent, and extremely protective of me. I'm grateful for him, and I do admit that I did like him once. I even thought that I'd spend the rest of my life with him."

"But I never would've thought that... sometimes I can't help but feel rueful about the fickleness of life. Well, that can only mean that our destiny was not quite meant to be. Who could've predicted the future? Fate allowed me to meet Mu Yuchen and move me to his side where I became his wife, and everything else went off-track. Then, I realize that those things I thought were very hard to forget weren't that hard actually. The reason we can't forget is that we've all tried to be tolerant and forgive others, yet we forget to forgive ourselves."

These words entranced Qi Lei for a moment, yet Xi Xiaye did not continue. She just averted her gaze and turned to silently look at him. "Mu Yuchen told me to pass on a message. He says thank you. Apart from that, he really admires you."

She said all this before turning to leave. Mu Yuchen was waiting for her in the car downstairs by the roadside.

Qi Lei was dazed. It was only when he saw Xi Xiaye get into the car below that he slowly snapped back to his senses. Mu Yuchen sat in the car and wound the window down. He looked upwards and casually nodded like a gentleman.

After that, he nodded in response too. Then, the car window wound back up, and the car slowly moved forward, joining the sea of vehicles...

Some time had passed when suddenly his assistant, Yang Sheng's voice came from behind. "Master Qi, they're long gone!"

Qi Lei then broke out of his trance and turned to look at Yang Sheng.

"Great. Now, VP Wang has been worried the entire day. She's been concerned ever since the meeting in the afternoon. She was even thinking about holding a press conference tomorrow, but who would have expected this move by Mr. Mu?"

Yang Sheng could not help but grin widely. He had been worried for quite a few days, but now the matter was finally settled.

"Mu Yuchen is... an unpredictable character... He indirectly trapped me. I don't know what to do now." Qi Lei sighed.

Actually, it was very obvious that the reason Mu Yuchen did this was to directly tell the person in the dark that he and Qi Lei were now on each other's side. They were allies!

If Qi Lei said he was not willing, then that would disrespect Mu Yuchen. However, if that was so, then Qi Lei would have to live with the infamy of being the third party in someone else's marriage. The shareholders of the company would not let this go. Mu Yuchen was quite alright. He even bore the image as a Good National Husband, treating the man to dinner and giving him a gift. If Qi Lei would not accept these, tons of curses would come his way!

What a sly fox!

However, he could not complain because it was he who initiated the call to Mu Yuchen!

However, Qi Lei could also imagine that the person who had planned this incident probably would not have thought that this would be the outcome. They had tried by every possible means to drive a wedge between him and Mu Yuchen, yet this was the outcome!

If Qi Qiming was really behind this, what would his reaction be right now?

Yang Sheng knew the pros and cons as well, so he asked carefully, "Master Qi, what... What do we now then?"

"Let's hold back first. We'll see how they react!" A sneer flashed across Qi Lei's lips.

Yang Sheng thought about it and decided to remind him, "Master Qi, VP Wang has always been against you and the Mu family."

"Why don't you ask her if she has any other ways of resolving the matter?"

The moment Yang Sheng finished, Qi Lei gave him a cold glare. Yang Sheng immediately lowered his head in fear, not daring to say anything anymore.

"You don't have to report this to her. I'll decide my own matters. I'm already very unhappy with the fact that you hid news about Shasha from me. If you don't behave, there's no need for you to be by my side anymore," Qi Lei reprimanded coldly.

Yang Sheng was so frightened that his back broke out in a cold sweat as he quickly bowed. "Yes, Master Qi! I got it! Don't worry, Master Qi! VP Wang is just concerned about you, so..."

"Please help me thank her for her concern! Tell her to watch out for herself instead," Qi Lei said with disdain. Then, he turned to walk towards the stairs.

"Master Qi!"

Yang Sheng quickly followed him.

"Back to the Qi family!"

Qi Lei was quite looking forward to going home and seeing what Qi Qiming's reaction would be. If he was really behind this, what would be more frightening than this person?

Yang Sheng nodded, feeling anxious.

He was clearly trying to find ways to ease the mother and son relationship between Qi Lei and Wang Qin, yet the former did not seem to have plans to forgive the latter. From Wang Qin's point of view, Yang Sheng understood that Wang Qin was just acting in Qi Lei's interest, but Qi Lei...

Especially because of Gu Lingsha...

It was pretty late when they got back home last night, and the two of them went to bed after they washed up.

After a good night's rest, it was the afternoon when she woke up the next day. The man was not with her anymore, but his scent remained in the air.

As usual, he had prepared her clothes for her and left them on the chair. She got up and took off her sleeping robe before heading into the bathroom.

Suddenly, she felt an urge to vomit again when she stood before the dressing table. Just like yesterday, only bile came out. She began to notice that something was wrong.

She suddenly remembered that Su Nan had similar reactions when she was first pregnant. Moreover, her period had been delayed for more than a week now. Could she be...?

Xi Xiaye's eyes brightened as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face seemed pale and she looked tired in general, but her eyes were exceptionally clear.

She was stunned for a moment while she put her hand on her flat stomach and only came back to her senses after a while.

When she went downstairs, Sis Wang and the others were doing the house chores. They greeted her respectfully and prepared lunch for her.

"Missus, Master has gone to work. He had an early meeting this morning. He wants you to go have a check-up at the hospital later. He's already made an appointment with Dr. Huang. Ms. Ji Zitong will come over and accompany you later." Sis Wang gave her a warm smile.

Xi Xiaye nodded. He had reminded her last night about it before sleeping. After so many days, it was about time for her to get checked.

"By the way, Master reminded you to take your medicine. I'll get it for you!"

Sis Wang walked towards the living room as she was about to get Xi Xiaye her medicine and some water, but Xi Xiaye stopped her. "Sis Wang, it's okay. I'll do it myself."

"But..."

As Sis Wang was about to say something, the phone started ringing, so she went to pick it up. It was a call from Shen Yue!

...

It was obvious what the call was about.

As expected—

"Don't mind the nonsense published in the newspapers and magazines. Just be more careful in the future. Your grandfather and grandmother were pretty worried, but Ah Chen dealt with them. The news this morning reported it was an accident. Anyway, someone might be behind this, so be careful," Shen Yue expressed his concern.

Xi Xiaye replied with a terse nod. "Mmm, I got it, Grandpa!"

"You're still too young. Businesspeople need to be more flexible. There's going to be an auction at the Glory Treasure Hall next week. Come with me."

Since Shen Yue was set on handing Fu Hua over to Xi Xiaye, he was trying to get her familiarized with it. He started to participate in public events again after staying low profile for a very long time. His intentions were obvious as he brought Xi Xiaye along.

"Mmm, okay..."

After she hung up on the call with Shen Yue, another call came from the Mu family. They were concerned about Xi Xiaye's condition too.

Ever since they got married, Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye rarely stayed over at the Mu Residence. Wang Hui made sure to give them a lot of alone time together. Besides visiting them when she was extremely bored, she generally refrained herself from bothering them.

Xi Xiaye felt embarrassed about it at times. When they were really busy, they might not even visit them once a month. However, whenever she mentioned it to him, he was pretty indifferent.

She lost her appetite after several bites. Then, she flipped through the newspapers as she sat on the sofa. As expected, she saw a large photo of them on the rooftop. Mu Yuchen was giving Qi Lei a polite hug as she stood beside him. It was a harmonious scene.

Xi Xiaye glanced over the article and let out a sigh of relief.

Ji Zitong arrived moments later. Xi Xiaye got in the car and they took off.

The bodyguard-cum-driver Ji Zitong informed Xi Xiaye of the schedule, "Director Xi, Chairman Mu said to send you to the hospital for a check-up."

"Head over to XX field first."

She still remembered her promised time with Inspector Zhang. After vanishing for such a long time, Xi Xiaye felt that he must have caught onto something. However, his phone was still switched off when she called him, and she felt it was odd.

Ji Zitong did so without any question. After an hour, they arrived at the destination.

"We've arrived, Director Xi!"

Ji Zitong parked at the edge of the field as she gave Xi Xiaye a reminder, who was reading some documents at the back.

Xi Xiaye raised her head and took off her sunglasses. She lowered the window and looked outside. As expected, she saw a black figure right beside a pole.

Xi Xiaye packed up her documents after she watched that person for a while. "Wait here. I'll go alone." She then got out of the car.

Ji Zitong nodded and got out of the car too. Standing beside the car, she just watched over Xi Xiaye sharply from behind.