It was not like he had never seen him. He had already held him many times!

Mu Yuchen's handsome brows furrowed into a knot, but he still got up to quietly leave the room. If you looked closely, you could even notice the way his handsome face blushed faintly.

"Master!" When he saw Mu Yuchen walk out, Li Si immediately went up to him.

Mu Yuchen's calm handsome face fell silent. He nodded, and then walked to the balcony.

Even though the warm sun shone down, the wind at the balcony was still a little chilly. Mu Yuchen leaned against the parapet and looked out. His expression was indifferent as he watched the crowd that milled about below. His deep voice was mixed in the slightly cool breeze, sounding very bleak. "How's the situation?"

Li Si lowered his head slightly and said apologetically, "Master, we couldn't find the car that Xi Xinyi mentioned. She provided too little information, and we can't confirm the truth of this. That place isn't under the jurisdiction of the highway area, so there aren't any CCTVs. In short, we can't be sure if Xi Xinyi was lying. I've tried to understand the situation from Xi Xinyi. She doesn't look like she's lying either. Perhaps we might know more after we ask Missus about this.

"Master, we could make a guess. If it was really as Xi Xinyi said, if someone really pushed her, this person might have something against Xi Xinyi, but how was that person coincidentally at West Park then? It's definitely not from Missus's end, because she decided to go to take a look at West Park at the last minute. Meanwhile, on Xi Xinyi's end, I've talked to Mayor Xi. It was really as Xi Xinyi said. She couldn't find Mayor Xi at the apartment, so she went to look for him at West Park. Therefore, this shouldn't have been something planned. I don't suspect Xi Xinyi of lying."

When Li Si said this, Mu Yuchen's brows furrowed even more. He pondered for a moment. "Investigate her routes on that day. See if she was in contact with anyone else. Remember to get someone to watch her for now."

"Yes, Master!" Li Si nodded and answered, "Right, Master, about Miss Ji..."

"I don't blame her. Give her a generous reward, and help me thank her for taking care of your Missus. I accept her resignation," Mu Yuchen said calmly. He did not forget the way Ji Zitong had also risked her life.

"Got it, Master!"

...

When he returned to the ward, the little baby had already been brought back to the incubator by the nurse. Because he was a premature baby, he was still weaker than those who had been born at normal gestation. In fact, he was just eating and sleeping. Even if Xi Xiaye wanted to carry him for a while more, she could not.

She watched reluctantly as the nurse brought her child away. After a while, Mu Yuchen appeared again.

Xi Xiaye fixed her blanket and watched him slowly close in. She blinked her serene eyes and asked, "Have we... thought of the baby's name?"

"What kind of name do you want him to have?" he asked instead as he pulled a chair to sit down by her side.

She hesitated for a moment and then shook her head before saying puzzledly, "I don't know. You give him a name."

"Mu Zicheng. I hope that he can be a proud and independent person who isn't afraid of hardships and is a determined person." Mu Yuchen's low voice sounded very sentimental.

Xi Xiaye's twinkling eyes lit up. She softly repeated, "Mu Zicheng? Mu Ziru... Xiao Ru, Xiao Cheng?" She softly muttered it a few times and then nodded gladly. She was quite satisfied. "Mmm, it's pretty good. Mu Zicheng sounds grand. We'll call him Mu Zicheng then. His nickname can be Xiao Cheng or Ah Cheng."

"As long as you're happy. Later on, we'll register the child. Recuperate well for now. Don't be so rash the next time. Everyone was really worried about you."

Mu Yuchen recalled the way he carried her covered in blood. Until now, he still had lingering fears, but thankfully, she was safe and alright. Otherwise...

"Grandpa and the rest..." Xi Xiaye then looked at him and muttered.

"They've all come to visit you. Since you weren't awake yet, they left. They'll be over in the afternoon. Alright, you're still very weak. Rest well. I'll be right here with you." He gently patted her head before he got up to help her lie down.

"I'll sleep for a little while more then. Wake me up when Grandpa and the rest come over. Earlier, the nurse said that we can even bring the baby over for a while in the evening. Please remember to wake me up."

Xi Xiaye lay her limp body down. She had just set herself down when she felt uncomfortable all over, then she said, "I want to shower... I smell..."

"No, you can't," he said very simply, and then fixed her blanket for her. "Don't touch water for now. I'll help you wipe yourself at night. Right now, you should get another bout of good sleep, okay?"

"I don't want you to be helping me..." she said softly, and then slowly closed her eyes as she leaned on her side a little to face him.

He thought that she was shy, so he laughed out as he cupped half his face and watched her intensely. His plain lips curled up as he chuckled. "We already have a child together. What else is there to be embarrassed about?"

Xi Xiaye's face felt hot as she lowered her gaze and quickly reached a hand over to gently hold his large hand. Her eyes were filled with gratitude and earnest. "Mu Yuchen, thank you... Thank you for everything you've given me. I find myself very lucky right now with you, our child, Grandpa, my parents, Grandfather and Grandmother who love and care for me, and Father and Mother-in-law. This is the biggest blessing of life. From now on, I will definitely be guarding these well."

He smiled calmly, and then chivalrously and elegantly lowered his head to plant a soft kiss on the back of her hand. He met her eyes with full focus, then sighed. "Don't say that. You have given me a lot too. There is only one Xi Xiaye in this whole wide world. I find myself a little luckier than others too."

"Do you feel quite blessed right now?" she asked carefully, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation.

The curve on his lips widened while his tone was quite calm and filled with sincerity. "These two words... I'm sure from the moment you signed our marriage papers, I already had it."

She suddenly felt weak and did not continue asking. She only tugged on his hand and opened up his palm as she quietly wrote down these words: Hand-in-hand till death do us apart.

He smiled gladly and scrawled on her palm too: Likewise .

After that, Xi Xiaye gradually fell asleep while he continued to guard by her side.

Initially, he wanted to ask her about what had happened, but she could not help but feel worn out, so he decided to only ask when she had woken up.

On the second day of the New Year, the entire city remained in a joyous state of celebration. It was a brand new scene all around. The air was even filled with the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, and everyone could not help but feel spirited by this.

Qi Lei had both his hands at the back of his head as he leisurely walked through the long corridor and was shocked to see overflowing plum blossoms in full bloom. He could not help but ask Yang Sheng in awe, "Since when was the backyard planted with plum blossoms? And can they survive? I thought City Z's weather isn't suitable for plum blossoms."

"It was planted the year before the last, but it didn't blossom during winter last year. A lot were planted and only a few survived. Initially, the butler wanted to take them all out and change them to peach blossoms, but the Missus said to wait until after the season. There were so many of them planted, and she hoped at least some would make it," Yang Sheng said softly.

When Qi Lei heard the reply, he pondered for a moment, and then those profound eyes looked down at the plum blossoms. There were mixed emotions in his eyes. He did not say anything and just pulled his hands back to stuff into his pockets.

"Right, Master Qi, there's news from Chairman Mu's end." Yang Sheng recalled the news he received from Li Si.

"Oh? What is it?" Qi Lei very quickly gathered his thoughts and looked at Yang Sheng.

"Director Xi gave birth at dawn yesterday at Hospital T," Yang Sheng reported softly.

When he heard the update, Qi Lei instantly frowned. He thought about it and was puzzled. "That shouldn't be. I remember the last time someone said that she was due in another two more months. Why did it happen so soon?"

"Master Qi, that's because something happened to Director Xi on New Year's Eve. I heard she was pushed down by Xi Xinyi, and then she had to deliver prematurely. If Chairman Mu hadn't rushed over in time, who knows what would've happened?" Yang Sheng only knew the rough situation and was not quite sure about what actually happened.

"Pushed by Xi Xinyi? Is she okay now?" Qi Lei's handsome face scrunched up as he asked in concern.

"I heard that the mother and son are safe now, but it seems like Director Xi's body is injured. I'm not too sure about the exact situation either. Would you like me to call and ask Chairman Mu's assistant about it?"

Qi Lei nodded. "Find out what actually happened. Why did she suddenly have an early delivery? Was there a fight? Is Xi Xinyi that daring? But since the mother and son are safe, it shouldn't be too huge of an issue."

"I find it quite unbelievable too. No matter how Xi Xinyi is, she probably wouldn't dare challenge Xiaye again, would she? If she didn't learn her lesson from the last time, was she not just digging her own grave?"

Qi Lei brushed his high nose, a faint mocking smile flashing across his face. "Maybe it was because she couldn't handle the trauma. Han Yifeng left just like that. He even brought the child with him. While I heard she's been on the decline, the Han family is still willing to accept her. This is what I don't understand."

Yang Sheng was puzzled.

Qi Lei smiled coldly. "Don't forget. Xi Xinyi is still loved by the Yue family's Elder. the Han family can gain a good reputation by not abandoning her, and they could get the Yue family's fancy, so why not? However, I really judged this Han Yifeng wrongly. I thought he wouldn't abandon Xi Xinyi, but it looks like that is all there is to love."

"You can't blame CEO Han with someone like Xi Xinyi. I heard that he wanted Xi Xinyi to quite the entertainment industry for a long time, but she wasn't willing to give up. However, now that I think about it, who would want to give up on such a thriving career to focus on being a housewife just to stay by a man's side? All those things she did to Director Xi... I'm afraid that even this time around, it was most likely caused by a loss of self-control."

"What are you two talking about? What did Xi Xinyi do to Director Xi? Caused by a loss of self-control? Can you tell me more?"

Just as Yang Sheng said that, a clear and melodious voice suddenly came from behind. Yang Sheng subconsciously spun to look and saw that Gu Lingsha was slowly making her way towards them. She wore a bright pink coat, and her hair was all tied up into a bun with a pearl hair clip with not one strand of hair out of place. It revealed her fair and beautiful face as her sapphire blue eyes dazzled and flickered with a faint radiance.

She walked a few steps up to Qi Lei's side and then stopped.

"Miss Gu!" Yang Sheng bowed slightly and greeted.

Gu Lingsha smiled and nodded appropriately. "Happy New Year, Assistant Yang. What were you two saying about Xi Xinyi? She's Manager Xi from Yueying Culture Media under Qi Kai, right?"

Yang Sheng nodded and responded, "It's her."

Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha shrugged slightly, pursed her lips, and spread her hands as she said in shock, "Uncle Qi did mention her to me before. What's wrong with her? What about Director Xi? She should be Glory World's Director Xi, am I right?"

"Yes, we heard that on New Year's Eve, Xi Xinyi pushed Xi Xiaye to the ground and caused Director Xi to..."

Before Yang Sheng could finish, Qi Lei suddenly spoke up and disrupted him, "Yang Sheng, wait for me in the car."

"Master Qi?" Yang Sheng looked quite confused while Gu Lingsha wanted to hear the outcome, but since Qi Lei disrupted him, he was momentarily stunned. She could not help but urge, "Caused Director Xi to what?"

"Wait for me in the car," Qi Lei repeated himself. Not daring to say anything further, Yang Sheng knew that Master Qi always hated it when people discussed gossip, so he was considered to have violated a huge taboo. In fact, it was a huge taboo when it came to Director Xi. Master Qi must be angry as his expression did not look too happy.

"Got it, Master Qi!" Yang Sheng then quietly retreated.

"Why are you so free to return today? On New Year's Eve, Uncle Qi didn't see you. He was quite furious, but I still have to say Happy New Year," Gu Lingsha said as her eyes darkened. After a while, she turned to look at the quiet man.

Qi Lei's tensed handsome face eased a little as he looked at her and quietly averted his gaze from the blooming plum blossoms in the corner. "Happy New Year. Why don't you go home for the New Year this year? You even said a few days ago that Aunty misses you."

"Mother has my father's company. Uncle Qi says he's been celebrating New Year's alone for quite a few years now, so I wanted to stay back to accompany him. I'll be with my parents in City B in another two days." Gu Lingsha smiled gently.

"Shasha, are you sure you want to work at Qi Kai? Isn't it better to stay by Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu's side? Why do you have to come to City Z? And do you have to join Qi Kai?" Qi Lei asked. His calm gaze fell onto the plum blossoms before him, no longer looking at her.

When Qi Lei said that, Gu Lingsha's expression turned slightly rigid. The smile on her face froze too. However, moments after she suddenly laughed and turned to look at Qi Lei, she smirked with pursed lips. "What's wrong? Don't you welcome me at Qi Kai? I remember that you were quite eagerly inviting me to join Qi Kai."

Qi Lei's expression remained solemn as he suddenly sighed and lamented, "Shasha, it's been six years. Many things should be in the past now. Even those that shouldn't be are now. I hope that you can forget some of the past grudges. No matter why you returned this time, I hope that you can still be the innocent and happy girl from before like the first time we met. Continue to maintain that innocence."

"So?" Gu Lingsha's hands that hid beneath her sleeves had already tightened as she watched the plum blossom petals that flew before her, and her line of sight slowly stopped on Qi Lei's face. "You're right. It's been six years. Time has passed too quickly. In the blink of an eye, it's going to be six years. Six years is a lot of time to change many things. Do you think I've been living happily these past six years, Lei?"

Qi Lei turned to look at her. After a long while, he could see the sadness and fatigue that she had endured between her brows.

Of course, she could not have lived happily, but then again, who could?

"I suddenly find that you're a little strange. You're no longer the person I was once familiar with. You were innocent back then. I remember you telling me that you'd always protect me, but it seems like your protection has never come into play, so I never treated it seriously. Back then, when I nodded and agreed to Mu Yuchen's proposal, you told me that if I really wanted happiness, you'd do your best to give it to me, but when the wedding date came closer, I never saw you anymore. Instead, it was Ah Feng and Lingtian that I saw..."

As Gu Lingsha said this, her eyes suddenly became slightly misty. There was a feeling she could not describe. She was upset, miserable, and felt a little depressed. "I don't want to hear you explain yourself either. I just want to ask you, even if I had chosen to leave with you and not Qi Feng, could you have really given me happiness?"

Qi Lei froze at that question. He reached out to rub the railing beside him as if there was something dirty on that railing. After a long pause, he smiled bitterly and suddenly turned to look at her. "I'm still me. What about you? Shasha, are you still you? Happiness... was something I never had, so how could I have given it to you? You need to fight for that yourself, and not rely on someone else to give it to you. Back then, even if you were willing to leave with me, I probably wouldn't have really taken you away with me. You never liked me. In fact, I knew that you were already...

"I knew that you were already pregnant then, so no matter what, I couldn't have taken you away." Qi Lei sighed, and when he reached the end, his tone became even calmer.

The light in Gu Lingsha's eyes faded. She pursed her lips as she looked at Qi Lei with a gaze that contained faint hurt and slight shock. After that, she smiled pitifully. "When did you find out?"

Qi Lei looked at her with mixed expressions. After a while, he blinked and turned to look at the plum blossoms by the corner once again as he said softly, "The day that Mu Yuchen decided on the wedding date and sent the betrothal gifts, I saw that you bought a pregnancy test kit in your handbag, and after that, the way you looked seemed to be filled with panic and being at a loss. I could already guess... That child... Is it Qi Feng's? Or Lingtian's? Or actually Mu Yuchen's?"

Gu Lingsha was stunned as she trembled all over, and could not help but bite her red lips gently. Her pitiful eyes flickered with tears, and she could not help but cover her face as her chest heaved with pain.

Her child, her poor child...

"Can you tell me?" Qi Lei could not quite bear to see her like this, so he handed her a tissue.

Gu Lingsha was fazed for a while before she reached out to take the tissue. In the blink of an eye, large teardrops immediately slid down while she just sighed deeply, she turned around and with her back facing Qi Lei. Then, she quickly wiped away her tears and did not answer him.

"It's gone. There's no use going after it. Back then, I did think of giving birth, but... So, Lei, if it were you, would you have just quietly accepted it all? Some things can be tolerated or forgiven, but some things are like a dead knot that can never be undone. You haven't been through that pain, so you won't understand all that I'm suffering through." Gu Lingsha scoffed coldly.

"Shasha, that's not the only ways to resolve grudges. There are many ways more to settle it. We can't put all the blame on Mu Yuchen. You were going to leave with Qi Feng while being his fiancèe. That would've been an embarrassment to him. Besides, does he know you have a child? Any man wouldn't be able to bear it, so I can completely understand that he's just human!" Qi Lei frowned while he could not help but defend Mu Yuchen.

"Enough, Qi Lei! Since when did you get so good at defending Mu Yuchen? If it were not for him, we wouldn't be where we are today. You don't understand the situation at all. You've changed! You've become so strange!"