When she returned from Su Nan's place, it was already close to evening. Xi Xiaye wanted to ask Su Nan out for dinner, but Ruan Heng got home late from work. Since it was not that convenient, she decided against it after some thought.

When the car was near the Grand Waves Villa, Xi Xiaye made Ji Zitong stop the car.

"You can go back first. I want to buy some things from the supermarket. Later, I'll walk home. I'll just treat it like a relaxing stroll."

Xi Xiaye had been doing this frequently recently. It was a way for her to work out. Once she reached the entrance of the Grand Waves Villa area, she would get down from the car and walk home. If Mu Yuchen was around, he would walk home with her too.

"Okay, Director Xi, I'll leave first then," answered Ji Zitong after she looked ahead and saw that it was Grand Waves Villa area.

Xi Xiaye nodded gently. "Okay, bye." She got down from the car and walked to the supermarket in front.

Mu Yuchen had called earlier to say that he would be leaving work slightly earlier today. Since she was quite free, she thought about cooking dinner as a reward for him for taking such good care of her.

This supermarket was the neighborhood anchor grocery stop. At this time, there were quite a lot of people doing their groceries.

Xi Xiaye pushed a trolley and soon loaded many things into it. She was quite satisfied with her haul. Su Nan had reminded her that if she felt like vomiting, she could eat something sour or have some grain biscuits, so Xi Xiaye decided to get both.

Mainly, she wanted to get a huge pile of books, some prenatal education discs or books, and some collections of poem and prose.

The doctor said that at about four months, she could begin prenatal education. As a mother for the first time, she naturally did not know about these things. Earlier, she chatted with Su Nan for quite a while to share references.

Standing at the tall shelf, Xi Xiaye set aside her trolley that was filled with things and concentrated on the shelf full of books before her. She wanted to look for a few more character-building poems and prose collections so that Mu Yuchen read them to the little one in her.

After looking for quite a while, she finally found a modern poetry collection. She casually browsed through it.

" Sliding across the vast sky and downhill, I am the dimmed shooting star, riding the cool breeze of the night rain, rushing on this journey of a gamble. A life that throws the dice is like a raindrop, stirring up a night of dense fog atop this lake... "

A clear and alluring voice was gently heard, sounding quite familiar. Qi Lei subconsciously turned to look towards the voice, and Xi Xiaye's elegant figure greeted his sight!

An unexpected current of thrill traveled through his veins at this sight!

He actually bumped into her here! It had been a while since they met.

Ever since the scandal and after Mu Yuchen hosted that dinner, he had not seen Xi Xiaye, but now that he had bumped into her, she seemed to have become even thinner than before. Mu Yuchen was terrible! How could he be so bad at fattening his own woman up? Could the fellow have asked his woman to watch her figure, and pursue the overrated skinny kind of beauty?

Master Qi meanly despised Mu Yuchen on the inside for a while.

Mu Yuchen was not as considerate as he was. He did not have his gift of the gab, he was not as confident and amusing as he was, and he definitely did not have his gentleness and understanding. Why did Xi Xiaye not like him? Even if she was Mu Yuchen's wife now, at least when she saw him, could she not consider him? At least, her eyes should light up a little, and then fill with admiration as she looked at him!

Forget about admiration! When that woman looked at him, apart from the disdain from before, there was just indifference and never any admiration. Obviously, this made Qi Lei feel quite defeated.

Just as he was hesitating about whether to greet her, Xi Xiaye already tossed the book into her trolley and was walking towards the cashier.

...

The cashier smiled as she asked Xi Xiaye, "Miss, it's $598 in total. Would you like to pay by cash or card?"

"Card, please." Xi Xiaye handed her card over.

After she paid, she then realized that she had bought two bagfuls of items. In fact, they were very heavy. It was all those books!

She was mulling over whether to walk home with two big bags. Would she die of exhaustion?

After pondering for a while, she decided to bring the things aside first, and then get Mu Yuchen to fetch her.

Just as her fingers reached out for the bags, a pair of strong arms flashed before her and picked up them up.

In surprise, Xi Xiaye looked up subconsciously and Qi Lei's handsome face greeted her sight.

"You!" Xi Xiaye widened her eyes in shock. She was clearly stunned.

"Surprised? Have you been wanting to see me?" Qi Lei looked amusedly at Xi Xiaye as he teased.

She immediately rolled her eyes, attempting to take the bags back. "You are relentless. How is it I bump into you everywhere!?"

Qi Lei avoided her hand and scowled at her words. "Woman, is this how you treat someone who saved your life? Relentless? I live nearby too, alright? It's best not to be a good person at this time of the year, especially if one meets a heartless woman like you!"

"Yes, you're relentless!" Xi Xiaye glared at him.

"This relentless person here saved your life. They say a favor in the form of a drop of water should be returned with a surging spring. Is this how you're going to act?"

"Mu Yuchen and I treated you to that meal already, at which you didn't go easy at all! You ate tens of thousands of dollars! Don't think I didn't know you did that on purpose!" Xi Xiaye was fired up as she raised her voice. She had only found out about it the next day. Clearly, he had done it on purpose, seizing the opportunity to butcher Mu Yuchen!

"You two are really such a stingy couple. It's not like Mu Yuchen's short on money, and it was only one meal. It looks like the two of you weren't sincere at all! I really regret saving you, and you even made yourselves look good!" Qi Lei pretended to be hurt.

"If he wasn't sincere, why would he include a luxury car? Qi Lei, why do I find that you have more potential to be a profiteer than Mu Yuchen? Do you think he has more money than sense, letting you butcher as you wish?" Xi Xiaye looked at him coldly while her tone was unfriendly.

"It was him who wanted to buy me off, so why wouldn't I accept it? I'm not a fool. Do you think that you can buy me off with a little favor? Hmm? Did you buy so many ingredients? Do the two of you cook for yourself? Let's go. No one's cooking at my place today, so I'll leech off you two tonight. It's my way of allowing you to continue to properly thank me for saving you," Qi Lei teased as he looked at the girl who was red from anger. Suddenly, he felt incredibly smug! Without waiting for Xi Xiaye's response, he lifted the bags and walked out.

Seeing Qi Lei's tall and lean figure walk over, Xi Xiaye could not hold herself back from angrily clenching her fists.

How could there possibly be someone as shameless as him?

She did not even answer him, yet he planned to just follow her uninvited!

"I've already repaid you when I should. Qi Lei, don't cross the line!" Xi Xiaye quickly chased after him.

Qi Lei pretended he did not hear her. Instead, he casually shrugged with the bags in his hand. He stopped and shot her a side look for a moment, then continued walking ahead.

"It's just one dinner. Do you have to be so unhappy? I'm visiting your home. Am I so unwelcomed?"

The two of them walked one in front of the other along the clean cement path. Abruptly, Qi Lei slowed down his steps and turned to look at the woman following him gloomily behind. He could not help but laugh out loud in a teasing manner.

When she heard his guffaw, Xi Xiaye immediately rolled her eyes at him. She complained, "Do people visit the way you do? This is called turning up uninvited. Also, you're coming empty-handed. Is this how you visit people's homes? You don't even know what courtesy is!"

Qi Lei immediately laughed out even louder. The gloom that hid between his brows vanished as he glanced over with a gentle gaze. "I was wondering why you were this against me going over. So, you're just worried you'll be taken advantage of, huh? Look, I'm not visiting empty-handed. These two big bags are filled with stuff."

"I bought those stuff!" Xi Xiaye felt that this man could really make her die of fury and irritation

"Well, then me helping you bring these things back is considered helpful too. It's not right for you to speak to an honest, handsome, and good person like that. Don't roll your eyes. You aren't that pretty to begin with, and with that expression, even the slightest ounce of elegance you have is destroyed."

He kept making fun of her. Seeing her all riled up, he suddenly felt especially smug. All his anger about that old fellow Qi Qiming was now all gone. It seemed like tormenting her and Mu Yuchen was quite fun too.

Xi Xiaye could barely catch her breath. This man was quite mean!

She had to complain to Mu Yuchen when she got back so that he can put this lecher in his place!

She inhaled deeply and pushed down the anger that surged in her chest. Trying her hardest to make herself calm down, she then cooled down.

"I've never seen someone as shameless as you. Your shamelessness is really an art that you've refined to perfection!" she said coldly.

Upon hearing that, he turned and shot her a look with that demonic gaze of his. Instead of being angry, he just smiled. "Thanks for the compliment. If I had any shame, would you be treating me to dinner? I'm handsome and shameless. I'm invincible! This is the truth. Instead of being angry, why don't you tell me about how the egoistic Mu Yuchen courted you?"

Xi Xiaye barely caught her breath at his straightforward question!

Her incorruptible Mr. Mu would not be as shameless at this fellow!

"You and he are on completely different levels. Don't compare yourself to him. It was I who courted him, alright?" Xiaye spoke in a rage. However, she seemed to be telling the truth. Even though it was him who suggested the marriage, she really did initiate it and clung onto him, but there had not really been any courting between her and Mu Yuchen, had there?

There was no proposal. They just went to get the certificate. It felt like everything happened so naturally, and after that when the conditions were right, things just flowed naturally.

After Xi Xiaye finished, Qi Lei instantly stopped walking. He widened his eyes and stared in disbelief at her, instigating goosebumps all over her. She shrunk and just walked around him, taking the chance to shoot him narrowed eyes.

"Are you for real? You don't look like the type! You don't look like someone who'd make the first move!" Qi Lei doubted her.

"Don't talk as if you understand women really well. Making the first move isn't embarrassing. Don't underestimate me. If I can even take Mu Yuchen down, you'd better not provoke me. Otherwise, I have my ways of getting you in trouble," Xi Xiaye could not help but urge him.

Qi Lei was so unfathomable to her. She did not know what he thought and she could not keep him away, so she had to give him a strong warning.

Qi Lei did not take her anger to heart. Instead, he said gently, "Are you that unreasonable? The other day, we said we were friends. Why are you all hostile now? I told you I'm really a good person. I won't hurt you."

"My trust in you is negative. I know that the grudges between you and Mu Yuchen are over a woman, aren't they?"

When Xi Xiaye said this, Qi Lei's suddenly fell silent. He looked at the side of Xi Xiaye's beautiful face with an unfathomable gaze. After he thought about it, he then continued, "Yes, it's because of a woman, but do you know about her relationship with Mu Yuchen?"

"They were betrothed to each other at a young age, weren't they? I don't care about what kind of past he's had. I'm his Missus Mu. He dotes on me, is very kind to me, and he will continue to be good to me. That's enough for me."

As she spoke, she suddenly stopped, turned around and her cold gaze fell onto his face.

"You're quite open-minded. Are you that confident that he'll always love you dearly? Whether he loves you or not is uncertain. What if I told you that he and Shasha had an unforgettable past?"

The corner of Qi Lei's lips curved up slightly as he smiled faintly at her.

Xi Xiaye smiled back at him without a word with an indifferent gaze.

Qi Lei chuckled helplessly. He pondered for a while, then said calmly, "Perhaps if you met Shasha, you wouldn't think that way."

...

When they returned to Maple Residence, the sky had darkened. The radiance of the setting sun engulfed the entire place in a golden tenderness. From afar, it looked quite surreal. The evening breeze blew gently, carrying the faint fragrance of flowers. It was probably coming from the sea of flowers blooming in the backyard.

Mu Yuchen had already returned from work. When Xi Xiaye entered the house, he was obviously busy in the kitchen as always while Sis Wang was tending to the plants on the balcony.

When Mu Yuchen walked out of the kitchen and saw Qi Lei carrying the things behind her, he was quite surprised. Then, he took a glimpse at the unhappy little woman, and he could immediately guess what had happened.

Qi Lei set aside the bags on the table and turned to look at Mu Yuchen. Qi Lei's eyes gaze held a vague demonic aura. As he met Mu Yuchen's gaze that was as still as water, he smiled after a while. "Long time no see, Master Mu. I'm here to leech on your dinner. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

After Qi Lei said this, Xi Xiaye immediately turned to look at the two of them while uneasiness colored her gaze.

Qi Lei smiled quite naturally, yet from what Xi Xiaye could observe, she felt like he had a dagger hidden in his smiles and clearly had ill intentions. In fact, he wanted to drive a wedge between her and Mu Yuchen, so he was evidently not a genuine person!

When Qi Lei finished, the man did not respond immediately. Xi Xiaye turned to look at Mu Yuchen, then she realized that he was quite calm. His eyes were filled with depth as always, so you could not tell what he felt at the moment. He just casually sized Qi Lei up.

Moments after, a calm smile flashed across Mu Yuchen's handsome face as he nodded. "It would be my honor, and thanks for your help." Then, he subconsciously looked at the things on the table.

"You're welcome!" Qi Lei shrugged, shooting a look at the glaring Xi Xiaye.

"Since you're here, have a seat. I'm preparing dinner," Mu Yuchen spoke very humbly.

Qi Lei nodded and made a gesture that indicated for him to do as he wished. He did not think of himself as an outsider at all, rendering Xi Xiaye speechless!

This fellow was just a pain in the butt! How much guts did he need to hone the invincible shameless skill he had today!?

Then, Mu Yuchen ordered, "Sis Wang, bring Master Qi over for a seat or to take a walk around."

"Okay, Master!"

Sis Wang quickly went up and brought Qi Lei to sit at the sofa in the living room before skillfully brewing some tea. Mu Yuchen turned around and returned to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Xi Xiaye stood where she was for quite a while, unsure of what to do.

She thought about it, then sighed and turned to follow him into the kitchen.

Once she entered the kitchen, she could see the man's busy figure. She turned to close the door and quietly walked over, stopping behind him.

He seemed not to have realized that she had come in. He continued to be busy and skillfully worked the seasoning while a stew was bubbling on the stove by the side. The kitchen was filled with the faint aroma from the food.

Xiaye watched him work for quite a while. She then slowly lowered her gaze and could not help but kick the dustbin on the side which clanged, yet the man in front of her continued to work. He did not even turn to look at her.

Seeing him like this, Xiaye instantly felt wronged. She thought about it and wanted to reach up to fix his shirt. He was wearing a loose, black casual shirt.

Mu Yuchen ignored her and did not say anything.

After a while, she was stunned and let go of her hand that held his shirt as she asked softly, "Are you angry?"

He did not say anything. There was not a squeak.

Soon, Xi Xiaye felt upset. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her throat tightened.

Why did she feel like after she got pregnant, she was becoming more and more emotional? She was no longer herself!

She sighed as she angrily turned around and was about to leave the kitchen. When she was about to urn away, the man abruptly spun around, his tall figure blocking her way.

"How did you know I was angry?"

He looked down at her with those eyes that were as deep as the sea. She could not fathom his calm expression.

When Xi Xiaye heard that, she silently looked up at him and said sadly, "You didn't say anything to me earlier. You didn't look at me either, what else could it be if you weren't angry at me?"

Upon hearing this, he could not help but laugh!

Should he be glad that she was observant, or dote on her sad and extremely vulnerable fragile heart, or should she be frustrated that she would rather let Qi Lei send her back than call him to pick her up?

"Your eyes are getting sharper. You could immediately tell I was unhappy, but why doesn't it seem like you've become more self-aware though?"

When he said this, Xi Xiaye immediately knew that it was that fellow in the living room that had ruined things. She immediately expressed frustratedly and sadly, "It was him who was relentless about coming over. I couldn't tie him to the supermarket. Letting him do some free labor isn't a bad thing. You wouldn't have to come running over again."

Before she could finish, he suddenly asked, "Did you think about getting me to fetch you?"

Xi Xiaye was startled, then she nodded. "There were too many things, and I told Zitong to go back first. Initially, I wanted to take a nice stroll home."

Then, his expression started to look much better.

Seeing that he had relaxed, she was relieved and could not help but rant, "I didn't invite him home because he was too annoying and he's really shameless. When I criticize him, he takes it as a compliment. The last time, he took huge advantage of us. He's quite quick-witted and is obviously not an honest person, yet he keeps calling himself a good person. He even said I wasn't pretty or elegant!"

"He's short-sighted. If not, then he's just jealous but he won't say it. His eyesight hasn't completely developed, so why do you care what he thinks? My woman has obviously got to be pretty and elegant!"

He chuckled, grinning as pleased as punch. Like a witch, he was charming her socks off.

Xi Xiaye looked on and was immediately startled. She could not help but hug him around the shoulders on tiptoe, and then kiss his lips. She was about to pull away when his long arms circled her.