The full moon gleamed in the night sky, attracting several fireflies as the wind breezed through.

The moonlight streamed in when Xi Xiaye opened the glass door on the balcony. She heard soothing music coming from the room behind her as she looked out at the night sky. When she turned around, she saw that he was reading the document Shen Yue had handed him earlier.

"It's such a lovely view outside tonight. Leave work aside, and let's have a seat under the moon," Xi Xiaye suggested.

Mu Yuchen then closed the document and beamed at her. "Sure."

He set the document aside and went to the balcony, then sat on a rattan chair beside Xi Xiaye.

The two of them sat beside each other as they watched the beautiful full moon together. He gently pulled a blanket over her.

"People in ancient times liked to drink and dance under the moon. It sure feels peaceful to look at the beautiful moon. It's been a long time since I last felt this relaxed. It'd be nice if it could be like this forever." She looked at the moon and sighed.

"The moon nowadays probably isn't as beautiful as in ancient times. Things have changed," he replied her quietly.

Xi Xiaye nodded as a smile appeared on her face. "Mmm, if we were in the past now, I'd probably be hanging around somewhere on my own. Mr. Mu?"

"Mmm?" He ran his fingers through her hair and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

"What were you doing during this day in the past?" It was a rare initiative of her asking about his past. Evidently, she was getting more and more concerned about him.

He looked over with a smile. "I'm definitely not as relaxed as we are now. I'd probably still be in the office. Glory World's international market wasn't as great as it is now. When I went abroad back then, apart from taking some time alone, I also wanted to expand Glory World's market. Now that I think about it, if I had stayed here in the headquarters, we might've been able to meet each other earlier and we wouldn't have wasted so much time. What do you think?"

He was feeling pretty contented at the moment as he slung an arm over Xi Xiaye's shoulder with a smile.

"You probably wouldn't notice me anyway. There are so many pretty and talented girls in the company while I'm just a tiny cog in the system. As the chairman, there's no way you'd notice me."

She then gave him a stare. "Do you know that a lot of girls still haven't given up on you? Don't you notice that a lot of girls are dressed up very well around you?"

"Why does it matter to me? I don't see you dress up very often, but I still like you, don't I?" he teased Xi Xiaye with an innocent tone.

"What do you know? Didn't you send the group of elites you brought back from abroad to research more on the local markets? Quite a number of them returned. Each and every one of them is very handsome, and then the girls started talking about us..."

"About what?" He voiced out his doubts.

"Didn't you have dinner with CEO Zhang's daughter last week? They said that men are more likely to cheat during their wives' pregnancy..."

He smirked. "After so much talk, in the end, you're just jealous?"

"I think they make sense." She rolled her eyes at him.

"We just happened to meet outside the restaurant, and CEO Zhang was there. I couldn't have very well outright rejected him. I've never had dinner in private with any other girls before except you. You know I have very high standards. While we're on the topic do you think there's any problem between us during your pregnancy now?"

He suddenly lowered his voice and whispered beside her ear, "I'm willing to wait until the child is born, but you'd better be prepared to make it up to me. I'm definitely patient enough to wait."

His heart belonged to her. No other woman could catch his attention, so cheating was impossible!

However, it was exactly like what Mu Tangchuan told him before, women became more silly and sensitive after getting pregnant, Zhuang Shurong was like this in the past as well.

He was not blaming her at all. In fact, he thought it was sweet of her to care about him. He felt it was something that he should be happy about.

Mr. Mu thought that any man who complained about his woman being annoying was a jerk. A wife was meant to be pampered since she was a creature that supposedly incited a man's desire to protect, and...

Actually, he had no idea he would change this much after getting married. Just like Li Si said, he used to stand aside and watch the world coldly. Alas, now he stood in this world and witnessed reality while his heart was filled up by something intangible.

He looked forward to their wedding. On top of that, he was looking forward to the birth of their child, and most of all, he was looking forward to his life in the future with her.

"I suddenly realized that you're getting more and more like that!"

"Like what?!"

...

Their laughter flew along with the wind on the balcony as the moonlight created an overlapping shadow of them in harmony. However, things were pretty much the opposite in another villa several kilometers away.

It was already late at night. Qi Lei only noticed there was a firework display going on when he finished reading a proposal. By then, it was already pretty late when he noticed the night sky being illuminated with fireworks. He opened the window and heard the voices of people cheering.

Qi Lei could never relate to those feelings. He just watched on as he felt depressed inside. Suddenly, he remembered that today was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Wang Qin had called him just now to tell him that she was going back to the Wang Residence, and Qi Qiming was probably at an event of some sort. Oh well, Qi Lei had never really experienced a united family gathering anyway.

Qi Lei stopped looking outside. Sometimes, looking at such wonderful and heart-warming scenes would induce certain feelings within him.

He took a deep breath and closed the windows. Then, he quietly packed his documents up before he realized that he felt hungry. He walked out of the study room and was thinking about cooking some instant noodles.

He was not exactly a great cook. The only thing he could barely manage would be some plain porridge. However, the first time he tried to make it, he used a whole lot of rice and water. Since today was a festive day, he thought that he should celebrate it himself.

He opened his fridge and noticed it was rather empty with only some tomatoes and several bottles of beer.

He stood there for a moment before laughing at himself miserably. Then, he grabbed a beer and chugged it down before slumping down beside the fridge and continuing to drink.

After some time, he heard his doorbell ring. Because he thought it was a mistake, it took him quite a while to answer the door.

He opened the door and saw Yang Sheng in front of him.

"Master Qi!" Yang Sheng stood at the bottom of the staircase with a grin on his face and a gift box in his hands.

"Assistant Yang? Why are you here? Did my mother send you?" Qi Lei frowned.

Yang Sheng smiled and shook his head, handing the gift box to him. "That's not it, Master Qi! CEO Wang went back to the Wang Residence. This is a gift from Chairman Mu and Ms. Xi. Someone sent it over. I was working with CEO Wang the past two days and almost forgot about it."

Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye?

Qi Lei glanced at the box for a while before taking it. "Did you say that this is from Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye?"

Yang Sheng nodded. "Indeed, Master Qi. I heard that Master Mu, Master Su, and Master Zhou usually send gifts to each other during the festive seasons. I'm surprised Master Mu would..."

Qi Lei knew about Mu Yuchen's habits. However, he rarely exhibited such generosity to others and it surprised Qi Lei this time.

"I'll head back first then, Master Qi!" Yang Sheng was relieved to see Qi Lei's expression soften.

Qi Lei nodded and waved his hand as he walked back into his villa with the gift box while Yang Sheng left.

He sat down on the sofa and took a long time to think about it before opening the box to see several pretty boxes of mooncakes.

However, Qi Lei felt that it was not just a simple gift although he felt a warmth bubble inside him. He stared at the mooncakes for a while before taking the mooncakes away and revealing the layer beneath it. There was another layer of space in the box with a document lying in there.

He flipped through it, and then realized it was the project details for Fu Hua Property!

He remembered this project was one of the two major projects that got the green light from Elder CEO Yue of Fu Hua Property this year. It was also part of the South River project and was similar in nature to Project no. 1 undertaken by Mu Yuchen. This project focused on developing an iconic building, on which many of Mu Yuchen's future plans depended.

Shen Yue placed a lot of focus on this project. Apart from the senior architects from his own company, he also hired many other architects to help out. Qi Lei himself studied architecture, and many stakeholders, including his mother, Wang Qin, was hoping to collaborate with Fu Hua Property. Besides that, their strong financial foundation would help to solidify Qi Kai's current situation. Moreover, he heard that Mu Yuchen was pretty close with Shen Yue, and rumor had it that Shen Yue was...

What was Mu Yuchen trying to do sending this information to him?

Qi Lei was confused by Mu Yuchen's intentions. He flipped through the document for a while as an idea popped in his mind.

Was he trying to create a chance for Qi Lei?

He vaguely remembered that Fu Hua was searching for another collaborator. With a project of such a huge scale, it would be extremely difficult to complete without the support of several strong companies.

The news about the collaboration between Glory World and Fu Hua should be about this project!

Qi Lei was not a fool. He understood Mu Yuchen's intentions very well by now.

Even Qi Qiming was aiming for this project. If he got this and got Fu Hua to appoint Qi Lei to take charge, he would then hold some real power among the stakeholders. Wang Qin had been working on this mainly to suppress Qi Qiming.

However, this project was top secret at the moment, so how would Mu Yuchen know about this? He even sent over something this important. If he just analyzed the data and created a detailed proposal based on the analysis, there was a high chance Shen Yue would...

In the end, Qi Lei grabbed his phone and called Mu Yuchen's number as his eyes were still glued to the document before him.

The phone was picked up after a while. However, the voice of the person who picked up the call surprised Qi Lei.

"Hello, who is this?" A clear voice reached his ears.

"Xiaye?"

Her voice echoed in his heart, and Qi Lei could not help but feel delighted. "Why are you the one picking up the call? Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Qi Lei?"

Xi Xiaye was stunned as well. She looked over at the man beside her, but Mu Yuchen acted like he could not hear anything and did not move an inch.

"It's me," Qi Lei replied with a jovial tone, "I've received your gift. Thank you."

"Gift? What...?"

Before she could ask, a certain someone snatched the phone away. "You got the stuff?"

Qi Lei recognized Mu Yuchen's voice. "Yes, I got them, but I'd like to ask what are you trying to do?"

Mu Yuchen paused as his eyes twinkled. "What do you think?"

"My brain isn't as smart as yours." Qi Lei laughed weakly.

Mu Yuchen then replied, "You're a smart man. I'm sure you know what I mean. I'm just giving you a chance. I'm sure CEO Wang and CEO Qi would be extremely happy if you sent this to them, especially CEO Wang. What do you think?"

This was what they had been looking for. Of course, they would be happy to see this!

Qi Lei's eyes darkened as he lowered his head and looked at the document for some time. "You..."

"Alright, it's getting late now. Think about it for yourself. If there are any more issues, we'll talk again later." Mu Yuchen hung up on the call before Qi Lei could reply.

"Why did Qi Lei call you?" she asked him as he put his phone back onto the table.

"It's about work. Didn't Grandpa remind us to look for capable partners for the South River project several days ago?" he replied quietly and hugged her.

Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "So, you approached Qi Lei, thinking that he's capable? But aren't you two... in a conflict? Why...?"

Mu Yuchen smiled when he saw the nervous expression on her face. Then, he left a kiss on her forehead. "While Qi Lei does have some conflict with me, I believe he can be professional in his work. I admire his talents and I don't want to see his talents be wasted. Moreover, his rise in Qi Kai might not be a bad thing for us. I believe he knows this very well."

He did not hide his intentions and told her his thoughts.

Xi Xiaye nodded, but she started to fret. "Aren't you worried that he'll take revenge on you?"

He scoffed. "I can't do anything about that then. Trusting a person is like gambling. I don't hope to see myself lose, but Qi Lei has his choices. Maybe he's doubting my intentions at this moment. He might think I'm setting a trap for him."

"That's true, but I saw the information you got Ah Mo to prepare on the table. Qi Lei is quite sad. No matter what, they shouldn't involve children in their conflicts. Children are innocent."

Xi Xiaye felt relatable as she sighed. "I'm very thankful to my mother. Back then, she never lashed out on me even when she had fierce fights with the Xi family, and she never told me to hate my father or the Xi family. Instead, she wanted me to be friendly to Xi Xinyi and hoped that I could grow up peacefully. I know she didn't want me to get involved in their matters, and although I've blamed her for this before, I'm thankful for her."

"Mmm, Mother is a wise lady, and it has been tough for her." Mu Yuchen thought highly of Shen Wenna. Although he did not agree with everything she had done, he was impressed by her wisdom and attitude.

Xi Xiaye nodded as she sighed again. "I suddenly think that compared to many other people, my life isn't really that tough. Sure, it feels painful when going through a hard time, but I realized that it's not really a big deal after I've gone through it. Although Qi Lei always looks weird and isn't serious at work, I know that's not his true self. I saw the proposals he's made before. They were nearly flawless, and he could answer my questions during our meeting as well. I can conclude that he's a responsible and careful person."

"I see you think highly of him. Aren't you worried that I'll get jealous?" He smiled as he threw her a meaningful glance.

She pursed her lips and smiled as she wrapped her arms around herself. "It's my honor. That proves that my charm has elevated to another level. Didn't you praise him as well? Anyhow, it depends if he can satisfy Grandpa's standard. Hmm, Grandpa looks pretty exhausted lately. I hope..."

"Grandpa is wise and has a pair of sharp eyes. With his experience, he'll know if a person is skilled or not in just a glance. Do you think he's been fooling around for the past few decades?"

"Your flattery won't reach Grandpa, and I'm not going to tell him."

"I'm telling the truth."

"Lies!"

"Alright, let's sleep earlier. I'm having a gathering with Su Chen and the others tomorrow. I'll bring you out somewhere as well."

He had promised Su Chen and Zhou Zimo to catch up the next day, so Mu Yuchen planned to visit the Leisure Club before heading to the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club at night.

However, their plan was forced to change. The two of them woke up early the next morning. As they were about to head out after breakfast, Li Si called to inform that Deng Wenwen's condition seemed to have worsened. In the end, they decided to go take a look.

Outside the room, Li Si walked up when he saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. His expression was grim.

"Master, Director Xi! You guys are finally here!"

"What's the situation?" Mu Yuchen halted his steps and frowned when he saw Li Si's expression.

Li Si took a deep breath. He had not slept for the whole night and he looked exhausted. In a solemn tone, he updated them, "She was just wheeled out of the operating room not too long ago after going through a simple procedure last night. Her condition suddenly worsened at midnight, and the doctors spent the whole night operating on her. She's still alive but her condition is still critical, and Deng Wenwen most likely can never move again just like a person in a vegetative state. It's questionable whether she can make it past this phase."

"How did her condition suddenly worsen?" Mu Yuchen gave Li Si a doubtful glance. Because of Xi Mushan's call, he had told Li Si to keep an eye on Deng Wenwen. She had been still doing pretty alright just a while ago, and nothing odd happened, so how did she get into critical condition now?