When Xi Xiaye said this, she was suddenly reminded of her old self.

When some pain was being put before us, they seemed to magnify, but no matter what, one would need to go on. Evading would only be the action of a coward.

After that, Xi Xiaye did not continue or look at Han Yifeng either. Her gaze remained on the tombstone before her.

"Grandfather, I hope that you're doing well. Without those worries, you can live happier!" she said before turning around to leave.

Han Yifeng subconsciously turned around. He was about to chase after her, yet as he was about to take a step, he realized that he had no reason to go after her. He thought about it and finally halted his steps in sorrow.

The sky was turning dark. The car passed through the bustling city, driving through the silent tunnel. When they returned to the Maple Residence, it was already past 7 p.m.

The lights at home were all switched on. Xi Xiaye went to the kitchen after setting her stuff aside. As expected, she saw the man dressed leisurely and preparing dinner. She could smell the aroma of the food from afar.

She strolled into the kitchen and watched him work around skillfully, looking all focused with concentration. Her heart warmed as she walked up to him from behind and hugged him by the waist.

When he felt his waist suddenly clutched tightly and the softness pressing against his back, he paused what he was doing and looked down at the arm circling him. His gentle voice queried, "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing his sensitive voice of concern, she suddenly felt sad. She did not know whether it was because she was pregnant with the little thing that she had suddenly become all sensitive.

She struggled for a while and finally said, "Nothing, I just... wanted to hug you for a while." She did not care about being reserved now.

When Mu Yuchen heard this, he obviously felt satisfied. His heart melted into a puddle and a smile flashed across his handsome face. He immediately turned around and pulled her into his embrace. Seeing her clear eyes watch him, he lowered his head to kiss her.

However, it was just a short, gentle kiss. Otherwise, he was worried that he would not be able to control himself. The fetus was only two months old. The days were going to be long after this, and he could already imagine that for a very long time after this, he would need to live like a celibate monk.

He sighed, then pulled her away. Upon seeing her misty eyes, warmth spread from his palm as he touched her still flat belly and sighed. "This little thing is really torturing."

When she heard his lament, Xiaye was stunned. Then, she immediately blushed and scowled down at his caressing hand before, she laughed. "How long has it been since we found out? Weren't you... quite pure of heart and free of desire previously?"

"Well, that would depend on who it was. You know this well." He did not know the meaning of shame as he spoke very seriously, "Missus, one is enough. Too many children translate into more worries. In fact..."

Master Mu thought that having this one child was enough. If they had a few more in the future, they would need to spend more thought on them. Once the child arrived, she would definitely shift her focus, then he would probably slide far down the ranks!

Besides that, he did not want to go against his self-interest.

"No, at least two. A boy and a girl would be best."

Xi Xiaye frowned at him. "Just one would be too lonely. Do you not like children?"

"A boy and a girl? You've got to see if I'm that fertile! As long as you give birth to them, I'd definitely like them. What nonsense are you thinking about now?"

Mu Yuchen wanted to say something more, but seeing her determined manner, he could not bear to go against her now.

When the child arrived and her figure changed, he was sure that she would not be this determined!

Besides, it was not easy to be parents. By the looks of her, she probably had the potential to be a hot mom.

Actually, Mu Yuchen was slightly torn. Even though he hoped to have a child with her, he was not ready to be a father at all. He simply could not even imagine how he would be like as a father, and how it would like to have a little devil following him.

"You're not allowed to dislike your child. Do you remember what you said to me?" Xi Xiaye squinted with seriousness in her eyes as she fixed her gaze on him.

He could not help but laugh as he raised his brows. "What did I say?"

"As a father, you must play the role of a good father, teacher, friend, and brother all at the same time. In order for our child not to be distant from us in the future, we must always pull ourselves closer to him and teach him ourselves." Xi Xiaye seemed to already be prepared with plans on how to raise the child.

As he listened, he just spread his hands open. "Okay, you are now the home's most important protector. Whatever you say goes, okay? Your Majesty?"

When Xi Xiaye heard this, she was delighted and nodded gladly. "Of course! Mr. Mu, you're becoming more and more self-aware. Your Majesty will reward you well."

"What reward? Your Majesty? You only know how to make things go your way." He looked amusedly at her as faint anticipation twinkled in his eyes.

"Mmm? Nah, for you!" Mu Yuchen only felt a flash of full-blown flirtatiousness before his eyes. When he stopped to look, he realized that there was a blossoming rose in front of him.

This girl had been giving him little gifts randomly recently. Two days ago, she gave him an exquisite tie clip, and the day before that, it was a cute pink pig that she had drawn. Today, it was a stalk of rose!

"Why are you suddenly being all sweet to me today?"

Mu Yuchen did not think that this girl would do all these for no reason. By the look in her eyes, these past few days, he felt like she was not the same as before. Apart from the usual sentiments, there was an additional nervousness which he believed that he could see through.

"Mr. Mu, your charm is off the charts. I just want to be sweet to you. Aren't you happy?" Xi Xiaye beamed and shot a look at him. Her hands were stretched out behind her as she lifted her chin defiantly.

"My charm has always been the same. I know I've always been irresistible to you, but I'm a little overwhelmed by this love."

He lowered his head and smelled the fragrance of the flower. His handsome smiling face greeted her, and she could not help but feel like she had been bewitched. After a while, she said softly, "Earlier, I just casually plucked it from the flowerbed..."

Indeed!

He smiled and patted her head. "I'll accept your goodwill. Okay, go outside and wait for me. I'll be there right away."

She then nodded and silently walked out of the kitchen as she thought about whether to tell him about how she had bumped into Han Yifeng.

It was not a grand dinner out of concern for Xi Xiaye. Her meals were prioritized to be healthy, so of course, dishes like honey steak would not be making its appearance for a while.

Xi Xiaye overreacted a little. In Mu Yuchen's words, she was in a delicate phase right now. The dishes were served on the table and he prepared a bowl of soup for her. However, she frowned when she saw the dishes.

"Why are we eating the same thing again?"

He handed her a spoon. "These are healthy meals that you'll have to eat for a while. I'll cook your favorite food again after two months, alright? Be good now and drink up."

"I'm not that weak, alright? I'm tired of drinking all these tonics every day."

Grouchily, Xi Xiaye felt that her body was holding up fine. After all, she traveled frequently for work back then, and he would occasionally drag her out for horse-riding. All the while, she felt fine.

"You still have to take it even if you're tired of it. Besides, it's just a few months, but you're already starting to get irritated about this and you still want to have two kids?"

Mu Yuchen noticed that she was not putting on weight. When they went for a checkup, her weight had gone down instead, and she seemed even skinnier than before. It was probably due to the recent stressful incidents.

He was practically working on the South River project alone. Aside from arranging some documents in the office to help her kill time, he was giving her much more time to rest.

Of course, he did not want her to go back to the Mu Residence or stay at the Maple Residence alone, so they went to work together. Truth be told, he could only feel assured when she was within his line of sight.

Xi Xiaye still did not feel like drinking it, but his provoking worked as she picked up the spoon quietly and started drinking.

She was suddenly reminded of the project. "How's the South River project going? I visited the south of the city with Grandpa a few days ago. We passed by the South River Bridge and went to take a look. They were constructing the foundation, so I'm sure it'll progress quickly soon."

"Vice President Zhang will follow up on it. You just have to keep an eye on the market research data. The progress is still within the satisfactory threshold. Don't just keep thinking about work. How are you feeling today?"

He did not like to talk about work in front of her. Firstly, he did not want her to worry. Secondly, they should be enjoying their time together right now, and he did not want work to come between them.

Xi Xiaye swiftly finished the soup. As she cleaned her mouth with a tissue, he poured her another bowl again. Her face twisted from the bitter taste and she looked at him with a pair of pitiful doe eyes. Nonetheless, he acted as if he did not see her and handed her the spoon again. The determination in his eyes left no room for negotiation.

She glared at him for a moment but he did not soften up at all, so she grabbed the spoon again and picked up the chopsticks.

However, things did not go as smoothly this time. Just as she was about to start eating, she felt an urge to vomit. Unfortunately, she could not make it into the washroom quickly enough. To her horror, the stuff that just entered her stomach gushed back upward. She turned her head back as she grabbed onto the man beside her, and then...

She barfed into his hands.

Xi Xiaye was stunned when his pair of big hands became her vomit dump, but she was feeling too terrible to give it much thought.

After she was finally done, her vomit filled up his large hands. Even she felt disgusted by it, but he seemed unfazed. Wait, was he not a clean freak?

"Ugh, so dirty..."

She moved her body aside and avoided him as she wiped her mouth.

Mu Yuchen glanced at her without saying anything. Then, he went to the washroom to clean himself up. Xi Xiaye had already started eating when he came back.

After dinner and a shower, two of them watched TV together on the sofa.

Ever since Xi Xiaye got pregnant, Mu Yuchen rarely worked excessively in the study room anymore. Instead, he would spend most of the nights accompanying her just like right now.

Xi Xiaye was in his arms as she gave his fingernails a trim, and he flipped through some documents to be used in the upcoming Monday meeting.

"I have something to tell you." Her soft voice broke the silence.

"Mmm? Speak." He averted his gaze away from the document.

"When I visited Grandfather's grave today, I met Han Yifeng," she spoke without stopping whatever she was doing.

He was astonished for a bit, but then returned to normal moments later. "What did he say?"

"What else? I feel like he's really having it rough. He was talking weird too. He said that he's willing to exchange the last 10 or 20 years of his life to start over. I think he's tired of Xi Xinyi's matter. He looked much more worn out than before."

She sighed. "He's not like the old him anymore."

"So, you're heartbroken?" He stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

She raised her eyebrows as her eyes smiled at him. She put the nail clipper down and touched his face lovingly. Then, she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and smiled. "I always like it when you're jealous. Today, several new assistants in the Administration Department said that you're very handsome. Oh, didn't Li Si mention getting you a new secretary? They were all trying to get close to you with other intentions, so I moved them all to the Marketing Department out of anger. Hmph, I won't even let them see your face!"

"Someone's abusing her powers now, isn't she?"

He grinned at her. Actually, he did hear about it. He felt that she was really concerned about the people he came into contact with recently. Of course, he knew what she meant.

He grabbed her tightly as love filled up his dark eyes while he looked deep into her eyes. Her tender smile softened his heart. After a while, his document disappeared from his hand. He grabbed her waist with one hand while the other hand explored underneath her clothes...

Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. "You're the one abusing powers! Stay put or you'll suffer later."

Master Mu glanced at her, feeling the anguish right now as he thought about the amount of time he had to wait.

He was pretty calm before he met her, but after they started having sex...

"You seemed pretty insensitive before I married you, and you were always cold towards everyone. Look at you now. You're not the clean and pure Mr. Mu anymore."

She pinched his handsome face and smiled as she stopped his hand that was moving towards her breasts.

"Clean and pure? Is that used to describe men?"

He took a deep breath and could barely suppress himself. "You haven't told me exactly what that man said to you!"

"Nothing much, just those words that I told you just now. I don't really understand him either. I just think that too much has been happening lately and many people have changed," Xi Xiaye lamented.

"Did he finally realize you're a treasure and wants to go back to the past in exchange for his time alive? Does he want to start over? You'll be engaged to me at childhood if we start over. What's his role in this?" He was unimpressed.

Xi Xiaye gave him a kiss when she noticed him scowling. "Okay, let's not talk about him now. I was just surprised to see him visit my grandfather's grave. I'd usually feel terrible when I see him and think of the past, but I've gotten over it now."

"You cared about him a whole lot before."

He was still a bit afflicted, but at the same time, he was also glad that she talked about this with him. She rarely shared her feelings with him, but it seemed like he had become her best friend now.

"If you became my fiancè much earlier, I'd have been sure to care for you a thousand times more than him." Xi Xiaye quickly tried to prove her loyalty!

He chuckled and hugged her tightly as she hugged him back as well.

"Mu Yuchen..."

"Hmm?"

"I have a question for you."

"Ask away."

"Am I... really your first love?"

"Why are you asking such nonsense again?"

"I just want to know. Just answer my question. Hurry!"

"Mmm... It's you..."

...

The hot summer finally cooled down a little, especially after the Qixi Festival. The temperature in City Z started dropping as autumn was coming.

She was still following Mu Yuchen to work every day. As her pregnancy entered its third month, her health was not doing so well and she experienced big physical reactions. Furthermore, she was getting skinnier. Her chin became really pointed now, worrying Mu Yuchen. He always tried to find ways for her to eat more, and almost never left her side.

Despite that, Xi Xiaye still appeared pretty well.

At the end of the month, Xi Xiaye took some time to visit Su Nan.

Su Nan's baby bump had gotten so huge that it now posed as an obstacle to her walking. Her estimated delivery date was at the end of the following month.

Su Nan's nausea was not as bad as Xi Xiaye's. Ruan Heng had been taking good care of her during her pregnancy, so she ate and slept well. She even put on some weight and looked great.

"Xiaye, how did you become so skinny? Doesn't Master Mu always treat you like a princess? How are you not putting on weight? You have to eat more in order to give birth to my future daughter-in-law!"

Su Nan was worried as she glanced at Xi Xiaye's barely noticeable baby bump. She was especially anxious when she saw her tapered chin.

Xi Xiaye chuckled. "How do you know that your child must be a son and that mine will be a daughter? Mu Yuchen does want a daughter though."

"It has to be a son. Otherwise, how would he marry your daughter? Master Mu is being considerate, alright? Girls are closer to their mothers! But Ruan Heng is hoping for a daughter as well. He's worried that a boy might be too naughty to take care of, but look at my belly. If it's a girl, she's going to be a big, fat girl!" Su Nan glanced at Xi Xiaye and ranted.

"Do you really need to talk about your child like that? Both Ruan Heng and you are good-looking. I'm sure your child will be either a handsome boy or a pretty girl. You just have to rest well. Mu Yuchen has been restricting me from going out, but I just came to visit you today since I've got some free time. I'm relieved that you're doing well."

Su Nan could not walk very well, and she had refrained from going out too much in the past few months, staying at home obediently. With Xi Xiaye being busy, they had not seen each other for quite some time. Because Xi Xiaye missed her, she went over.

"You have to take care of yourself too. By the way, guess who I met when I went to the hospital for a checkup several days ago?" Su Nan remembered something and looked at Xi Xiaye.

"Who?" Xi Xiaye threw her a doubtful glance.

"I met Xi Xinyi. Her baby bump has become really huge too. Huang Ziyao went with her for a checkup, and she seems to be doing well! I wonder what the Han family is thinking. They're still shielding her, even Han Yifeng. Sigh, she's been living pretty well lately, and Yueying is doing well with Qi Kai supporting it and several huge stars having signed contracts with Yueying. I also heard that Yueying's new movie will be airing this spring. It's pretty popular and many people expect high numbers at the box office. I don't get it. How is she so lucky!?"

Su Nan was getting irritated.

Xi Xinyi, huh?

It had been a long time since she last heard about her. She had been behaving ever since Yueying's crisis.

Of course, Xi Xiaye would not know that Xi Xinyi was being blackmailed and was scared terribly by that. At such a critical moment, she could only behave and mind her own business!

If she tried to do something funny, Mu Yuchen would expose her photos. She simply could not risk it!

Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that Xi Xinyi's expected delivery date was quite soon too!

Su Nan and her had conceived at almost the same time. She saw her appearing on TV for the movie promotion which meant that she was really working hard although her baby bump had gotten so big!