Xi Xiaye sat quietly on the sofa. She turned over to look at her parents from time to time and saw Xi Mushan peeling some peanuts for Shen Wenna, so she lowered her head and chuckled.

"Father, Mother, Mu Yuchen got someone to refurbish the apartment in University A, but it's already pretty late now, so..."

Before Xi XIaye could finish, Xi Mushan interrupted her, "Your mother will be staying with your grandpa for a while. I'll be going back to my own apartment now. I've gotten people to clean it up for me. Let's talk about this again after the New Year. I'm afraid that I'll be busy with some things for now."

Xi Xiaye was stunned as she looked at Shen Wenna and mumbled, "Then, Mother..."

"He had to go see your grandfather and that person. I want to spend more time with your grandpa during the year-end as well, so I'll stay there after the semester starts," Shen Wenna explained though her voice was not as cold as before.

Xi Xiaye felt relieved to hear that. After a while, she asked, "When are you two going to remarry each other?" This was her biggest concern, and she did feel a little uncomfortable asking that question.

"Xiaye, it's not really urgent or important at this point now..." said Xi Mushan before Shen Wenna could say anything, recalling his conversation with Shen Wenna.

Xi Xiaye's expression darkened slightly before looking at Shen Wenna. "Mother, what do you think?"

"Let nature take its course. You don't have to worry about us, Xiaye. Take care of yourself instead. We'll talk about this again after your child is safely delivered..."

"If you're really letting nature take its course, I'll get Mu Yuchen to ensure the necessary procedures are done tomorrow. Father, Mother, you aren't children anymore. I don't think there's anything more important than the happiness and harmony we can get right now. Give me your identification cards and household register!" Xi Xiaye sounded determined.

"Xiaye!"

"Aunt Wu, Aunt Wu! Go to my mother's room and get me her identification card and household register!" Xi Xiaye ignored Shen Wenna's hesitant attitude and nudged her out of the way.

...

"Both of you are more than fifty years old now. If you're going to keep waiting like this, it'll be too late. Let me make the decision for once." Xi Xiaye put her hand into Xi Mushan's pocket and grabbed his wallet and took out his identification card. "I'll bring you two the document to sign after everything is prepared. That's it."

Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan traded glances at each other as they were surprised at Xi Xiaye's decisiveness. It felt like Xi Xiaye had...

She had pulled a fast one on this matter, totally ignoring Shen Wenna's hesitation and getting it done. Shen Wenna received the marriage certificate three days later.

After running back and forth for half their lives, the two of them finally got back together again.

Both Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan knew very well that apart from their feelings for each other, their remarriage this time was mainly for the sake of Xi Xiaye. It was about time to pay her back.

They did not want to cause a big fuss, so their renewal of vows just happened without anything huge. They just had a feast at the Shen Residence that night; even the Mu family was not involved.

The night of Glory World's annual dinner arrived again. It was held on the seventh floor of the Imperial Sky Hotel.

Caitlyn and many other artistes under the company attended the event. Even Qi Lei went. Although Xi Xiaye was planning to stay this out, in the end, Mu Yuchen dragged her there.

The annual dinner was much more crowded than the previous year's, and the turnout exceeded expectations. Mu Yuchen fulfilled his promise and shared the company profits with the departments that had achieved the goals, and there were a lot of other prizes as well.

When the host announced the winner for the largest contribution of the year to be Xi Xiaye, Chairman Mu of Glory World was invited to bestow this prize. Mu Yuchen smiled elegantly as he looked at the woman beside him.

Xi Xiaye smiled as well. She leaned closer and said, "Mr. Mu, isn't this prize biased?"

Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows. "My dear, no one else could've contributed more than you." He then glanced at her baby bump hidden under her big coat.

Xi Xiaye was speechless as she rolled her eyes. She then walked slowly towards the stage as the crowd gave her a loud round of applause and the host handed the mic over.

She spoke gently as she glanced at Mu Yuchen below the stage, "Thank you for joining us here tonight. I'm not going to give a long speech here. I just want to thank everyone's hard work throughout the year. Glory World's achievement today is thanks to everyone with us here tonight. I thought I'd be thanking everyone with Chairman Mu. I didn't expect to be the one receiving this prize instead, so I'm surprised and very touched. Also, I'd like to say something to Mr. Mu on this stage here.

"Meeting you and marrying you has been the best thing I've done in my life. Liking you is my honor, and my love for you will never change, Mu Yuchen."

Xi Xiaye's gaze seemed gentle as she looked at the man below. Her sharp eyes noticed that the usually calm and collected man was glancing downwards in embarrassment when she looked at him. He could not hide his smile no matter how hard he tried.

After a short moment of silence, a thundering round of applause came from the crowd. Some even started screeching as they gave them their blessings.

People used to have no idea why Chairman Mu would be interested in their Director Xi, but they finally understood after looking at them. Maybe there was no particular reason other than that they belonged to each other from the very beginning.

Who cared about the rumors and gossip? Everyone could see that Chairman Mu was embarrassed!

Only Director Xi was capable of doing that!

Amidst the crowd's applause, Mu Yuchen slowly walked onto the stage.

Her heart was throbbing as she saw him slowly close in on her. Her eyes were moving along with his figure, and she looked up slightly when he was right in front of her.

His eyes were as deep as the dark sea. He studied her for a long while before he put on a smile. Then, he lowered himself and whispered beside her ear, "Tell me what you just said again tonight..."

He ran his fingers through her slightly messy hair. Before she could react, he retracted his hands and grabbed the trophy from the host and handed it to her along with an exquisite looking gift box with some other prizes inside.

This girl was getting more and more daring now to the point that she just confessed her love for him in public without getting embarrassed. On the contrary, he was the one that felt embarrassed.

Xi Xiaye looked at him as she took the prizes from him. The crowd gave another round of applause with many people shouting for Mu Yuchen to confess his love as well. However, he just smiled and kissed her on her lips.

"Xi Xiaye, I've never won ever since I met you." He sighed before patting her head, and then the two of them walked off the stage.

Xi Xiaye beamed and just followed him as Li Si and the others quickly went over.

As they just walked out of the Imperial Sky Hotel, they saw Qi Lei standing around casually by the staircase with both his hands in his pockets. He gave Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye a meaningful glance while Yang Sheng stood behind him.

The first one to greet them was Yang Sheng. He gave Qi Lei a careful glance before he called out, "Chairman Mu, Director Xi!"

Mu Yuchen nodded, but his eyes were fixed on Qi Lei. He and Xi Xiaye slowly stopped their steps.

"Why aren't you going up?" Mu Yuchen asked him.

"I just don't want to. Qi Kai's annual dinner is today as well, so I need to rush over later. I've received your gift from your assistant Li Si, and I'm here to deliver my gift as well."

Qi Lei gave Yang Sheng a quick glance, and Yang Sheng swiftly handed the gift over. In reflex, Li Si went forward to take it.

"That's very nice of you," said Mu Yuchen as he helped Xi Xiaye to smoothen her creased sleeve.

Qi Lei shrugged and smiled. "You're welcome. Are you free to talk somewhere?" He glanced over at Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen.

Mu Yuchen gave it some thought for a while before nodding. He told Xi Xiaye quietly, "I'll be back after a while."

"Li Si, get your Missus into the car first."

"Yes, Master."

Xi Xiaye gave them a doubtful glance. After some hesitation, she just nodded and went towards the car.

In just a moment, only Qi Lei and Mu Yuchen were left.

Qi Lei took out a cigarette from his pocket but did not offer Mu Yuchen one since he knew he was not going to touch it. He let out a puff casually. "Qi Qiming handed Fuhua a proposal as well. I'm sure you know about this already, don't you?"

Mu Yuchen's eyes darkened as he looked at Qi Lei.

"Is Fuhua confident about winning the bid? The bidding will start after the New Year. While Fuhua has very strong real estate in City Z, from what I know, Qi Qiming had an alternative plan even though he was trying to get to work with Fuhua. Are you sure Fuhua can win the bid?" Qi Lei's tone sounded grim. He had invested everything into Fuhua and Glory World, thus this fight was important to him!

"Did you hear something?" Mu Yuchen's eyes darkened as he glanced at Qi Lei.

Qi Lei took a deep breath. His eyes were clearly struggling as he shot Mu Yuchen a complicated glance before bending over and sitting down on the cold staircase. "Why do you think Shasha came to Qi Kai? Uncle Gu sent her here. Do you understand now?"

His tone got deeper. "Qi Qiming has been visiting City B frequently. Shasha will be working in Qi Kai after the New Year. I'm not sure what position she'll assume yet, but I'm sure she'll be involved this. She's changed a lot. To be honest, I have no idea which side of her is real now."

Gu Qiwu, huh?

A cold light flashed in Mu Yuchen's darkened eyes as he thought about that name.

"Fuhua will do its best. Don't worry. You won't fail even without this project. I'll make sure your wish gets fulfilled after you've chosen to work with me. I'd never abandon my partner. I'd just fight with them." Mu Yuchen's magnetic voice reached him as his dark eyes lightened slightly.

Qi Lei nodded. "I'll hold you to your word then. That's all from me. Is there any news from Australia?"

"I'll let you know if I find anything. The New Year is coming soon. I wish you an early Happy New Year." Mu Yuchen then walked down the staircase.

Qi Lei watched his back in surprise as he asked, "Mu Yuchen, you're still so calm, huh? Aren't you worried that all your preparation with Fuhua will go to waste?"

He had always been so calm and collected. Was he really so confident about this huge project, or did he simply not care?

Mu Yuchen stopped when he heard Qi Lei's question. He answered without turning back, "I have a baseline for myself. It doesn't really matter to me as long as this baseline isn't breached. No matter how bad it turns out, it won't be so bad that I'd have to starve my family. What's so difficult about it?"

Qi Lei could not react to what he said, and Mu Yuchen already disappeared when he came back to his senses.

He patted his own head and mumbled, "It doesn't matter? You have no idea what's going on! But he does make a little sense..."

New Year's Eve soon arrived after Glory World Corporation's annual dinner.

The weather was getting better lately compared to the windy days before, and the days leading up to the New Year were strangely warmer.

Xi Xiaye had been staying in Maple Residence for the past few days. Mu Yuchen would take a walk with her outside every morning and evening while Shen Wenna frequently visited with Mu Zirui and Little Apple as well. All in all, the Maple Residence suddenly became very lively.

The two families planned to have a reunion dinner together at Maple Residence on the night of New Year's Eve.

Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong started preparing early in the morning. Shen Wenna went over later and joined them while the two elder men gathered around and played chess as they enjoyed some tea. Xi Mushan called and said he would only be here by night.

Mu Yuchen went out early in the morning. He told Xi Xiaye that he was going to Su Chen's place because Zhou Zimo had returned.

At noon, Xi Xiaye saw Sis Wang and the others trying to put up a pair of couplets by the door. She was reminded that it had been a long time since she last went back to West Park which was where Xi Jiyang had spent all his life in. She felt it was only appropriate for her to visit right before the New Year.

After waiting for a while, Ji Zitong came over.

Due to her being forced to rest at home by Mu Yuchen recently, Ji Zitong hardly had any work to do. She even handed in her resignation letter a few days ago, but Xi Xiaye held onto it first and wanted to talk to her before proceeding.

On their way to West Park inside the car, Ji Zitong spoke up quietly, "Director Xi, I'm sure you're safe with Chairman Mu around, so I won't be your bodyguard for very long. Back then, when Manager Ah Mo approached me, the intention was just for me to help around for half a year. My job will be done after things have settled down. I've learned a lot during this period of time guarding you, and I'm really grateful for it. Director Xi, if you need anything from me in the future, please give me a call anytime."

"If you aren't my assistant anymore, what do you plan to do?" Xi Xiaye looked at Ji Zitong quietly and asked.

"My mother and I just bought a tiny shop and we're planning to start a florist business. It's pretty close by to my father's martial art center. It'll be opened on the 7th of next month. Of course, Chairman Mu and Director Xi are welcome to come over."

Ji Zitong smiled. Her hair had grown much longer now after half a year, and she tied it up into a bun. It was a new sight to see pairing with her slightly distant expression.

"A flower shop? Do you know how to do floral arrangements?" Xi Xiaye looked at Ji Zitong in surprise.

Ji Zitong smiled as she sped up. "My mother was an art teacher before, and she knows about floral arrangements. I learned a little bit by observing her. Having a flower shop and living a peaceful life has always been what I'm looking for."

Xi Xiaye nodded. "I'm not going to keep you if that's your will. It's better for a woman to settle down. I'll tell Chairman Mu about it. I personally like floral arrangements. I'll find a time to learn from you one day."

"Thank you, Director Xi. You're welcome anytime."

"Call me Xiaye. We're friends."

While Xi Xiaye looked cold on the outside, she was a pretty carefree person once you got closer to her. Ji Zitong had always admired her, so they became friends after working closely together for half a year.

...

West Park seemed quiet as the golden evening rays showered over it. The cool breeze added a tint of loneliness to the place.

Xi Xinyi wrapped herself in a khaki-colored coat as she raised her head and looked at Xi Mushan who was standing at the top of the staircase. Her eyes seemed complicated, and she pondered a little while before walking closer.

"Father..." Her voice was still sweet as ever, but her tone sounded like she was suffering on the inside.

"Why are you here?" Xi Mushan did not seem surprised to see Xi Xinyi. He just gave her a glance.

"I went to your apartment and the guard told me that you went to the west. It's New Year's Eve today, so I thought you might be here."

Xi Xinyi dared not make a fuss in front of him. Even though he stopped being the mayor, he had left a lasting impression on her for the past twenty years. Even now, she still feared him out of respect.

"Father, aren't you at least going to take a look at Mother?" Xi Xinyi grabbed Xi Mushan's sleeve. "You two have been married for over twenty years. No matter what kind of faults my mother did in the past, she did all of it because she loves you, Father... I know, I also hate that she's such a failure, but I..."

Xi Mushan sighed before looking away. "Your mother and I were a mistake from the very beginning. Xinyi, you're my daughter. Think about how I've been treating you all these years. And how did I treat your sister?"

She was speechless.

"The Xi family doesn't exist anymore. Let the past stay in the past. I've paid the fees for the rehabilitation center for five years in advance. I did my part. Now, let go of me."

"Father, are you and Aunt Shen...?" Xi Xinyi bit her lips as she looked straight into Xi Mushan's eye and suddenly let go of his sleeve.

Xi Mushan did not reply and just walked down the staircase quietly.

"Father!" Xi Xinyi tried to catch up. "Father, Han Yifeng took my child away. Can you ask Xi Xiaye... No, can you ask Sister to call Han Yifeng and tell him to return my child to me? I can act as if nothing happened. All the conflict will come to an end for real. Father, please!"

Xi Xinyi's voice was anxious as she begged Xi Mushan after considering every other solution at her disposal. Han Yifeng ignored all her phone calls and she was on the verge of breaking down. Even though her new movies were doing great at the box office, none of her career achievements could fill the void in her heart.

Especially during the times late at night and moments when she missed her son, she suddenly felt that everything important to her was moving further and further away.

"I've already said I won't get involved between the two of you. Don't disturb your sister as far as her health is concerned. Not only will your scars hurt, but how do you think your sister will feel if you tell her to talk to Han Yifeng about it?"