Xi Xiaye brought Mu Yuchen over to a hotpot shop near the New Era Plaza.

There was quite a crowd inside the shop. The couple sat in a corner. Looking outside the window beside them, they could see the big public square under the New Era Plaza.

She had quite an appetite that day. Most of the food they ordered went into her stomach while Mu Yuchen did not really eat much. Instead, he kept adding the ingredients into the pot for her.

Xi Xiaye picked up a slice of lotus root and put it into her bowl. She suddenly looked at the man opposite her who lowered his head while drinking some tea. He had hardly touched his chopsticks. "Do you not like it? I didn't really see you eat anything."

She scooped up a bunch of food and put them into his bowl.

"You eat yours. I want to see how much of a fight you can put up," Mu Yuchen stopped her hand and replied, glancing at the empty plate.

Xi Xiaye looked over at what he was staring at. It seemed that her enormous appetite shocked the man.

"It's not like you've never seen it before..." She retracted her hand and lowered her head.

"What expression is that? I'm not dissing you. It's a blessing to be able to eat. Anyway, you're too skinny. You might be able to show more of your charming points if you eat a little more." Mu Yuchen glanced over at her, then he grabbed some tissues and handed them to her.

"Don't you guys like slender figures?" Xi Xiaye took the tissues from him and wiped her mouth daintily. She raised her glass as she looked at him. "About what happened today, do you think we were being mean?"

Mu Yuchen raised his eyebrows as her words reached his ears. He looked at her without replying.

She frowned and gulped down some alcohol as a cold smile appeared on her face, "Actually, I don't mind being even meaner..."

She suddenly laughed cheekily. "Mr. Mu, I thought you'd cancel the contract with her angrily and kick her out of Glory World."

Mu Yuchen laughed when he saw the glitter in her eyes. He put his glass down and said, "You wish! Do you think I'm a dictator who'd fire people without any reason?"

"You generously used $20 million to mock her. You probably wouldn't care about paying $10 million to terminate the contract," Xi Xiaye pointed out.

"That's enough. Your IQ is tough to look at. You're her superior now. Isn't it easy to give her a hard time at any moment?" He said it so easily with a cold light in his eyes. Xi Xiaye was slightly stunned.

Was that the right thing to tell anyone else?

"You... are way meaner!" Xi Xiaye replied after a while. She suddenly had a premonition. Birds of a feather flocked together. Being with this man for long would definitely corrupt her mind...

There was a huge crowd outside when they left the hotpot shop. It was just a few days before the New Year's Eve and large lanterns were hung around the New Era Plaza. The whole place was brimming with festivity.

Xi Xiaye felt a little bloated from all the food she just ate, so Mu Yuchen suggested walking around the plaza. Thinking about it, they had never taken walks together at night before.

In the plaza, Mu Yuchen casually put his arm over Xi Xiaye's shoulder as the two of them slowly walked past the dim streetlights. The wind blew past them and Mu Yuchen's windbreaker was now slung over Xi Xiaye's shoulder.

"The New Year is coming soon. Don't we need to prepare some gifts? The Mu Residence..."

After a while, Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped walking and looked at him doubtfully, she did not forget about the fact that she was married into the Mu family. Wang Hui had even called her this morning and asked her how she was doing.

"We'll go back for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. We'll go back to Maple Residence two days after that."

When Mu Yuchen turned over to see her deep in thought, he laughed. "What now? Are you thinking about how to put up a good image in front of my parents and grandparents?"

"I always have an impressionable image to them, alright?"

Xi Xiaye glanced at him with a light in her eyes. "Moreover, I'm trying so hard to fit in, yet you never even praised me and there's no reward of any kind either."

He was really tall, so she still had to raise her head slightly to talk to him comfortably even when she wore heels. Sometimes, she could even feel a slight pressure on her.

Mu Yuchen was a little flustered when he heard her. His grip on her shoulder tightened slightly as he spoke in a gentle tone, "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Missus. How'd you like me to reward you? You're not a high school girl anymore. Why would you need a reward as an encouragement? Aren't you a self-proclaimed new era strong woman? Yet, you're worried about small things like these."

Mu Yuchen did not know that Xi Xiaye acted that way because she felt that the people from the Mu family were treating her very well, especially Wang Hui. She would call her from time to time to check up on her. Such attention gave her an indescribable sense of warmth.

She wanted to keep this warmth inside her.

For some reason, when Xi Xiaye saw his indifferent eyes, she blurted out a question. "Mu Yuchen, do you rarely communicate with your family? I feel that your relationship with them... is kind of... weak..."

Xi Xiaye's words stunned Mu Yuchen. She was looking at him in the eye and she caught the subtle glimpse of darkness, but it swiftly returned to normal.

"Mmm, I rarely stayed at home the past few years."

As he was talking, his arms over her shoulder pushed her forward slightly. "I went to a boarding school since I was young. My parents were busy with work and we hardly got to chat with each other. They are very strict with their children, including Ling... Lingshi. While our family is quite well-off, I don't exactly have a relaxed life."

"Lingshi?" Xi Xiaye quickly caught the key point and she asked doubtfully.

"Mmm, Lingshi...she'll only return after the New Year. She's sweet. I guess you'll like her," Mu Yuchen replied neutrally.

"Don't your parents... only have one son?"Xi Xiaye asked.