When they walked towards the door, Huang Ziyao and Han Yu were on their way out. The shock on their faces intensified when they saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye together.

"Chairman Mu! Xiaye!" Han Yu reacted after a brief moment and called out to them loudly. Huang Ziyao was still lost in the moment.

"CEO Han? Long time no see!" Mu Yuchen replied casually.

Huang Ziyao came back to her senses and asked, "Chairman Mu, you and Xiaye..."

"Mrs. Han, you know my wife too?"

He outrightly informed them about their relationship with that sentence. Without staying for long, Xi Xiaye pulled him away.

...

"What's happening?" They traded glances with each other in doubt as the two of them walked past them. They were confused and turned their heads around when they heard the sound of footsteps from behind.

Deng Wenwen came inside with a cloudy expression while Yue Lingsi seemed angry. It was not hard to guess that they were pissed off.

"Grandmother, don't be angry! Your health is going to get worse!" Xi Xinyi let go of Han Yifeng's arm and held onto Deng Wenwen.

Han Yu and Huang Ziyao noticed that something was wrong, so they then asked, "What exactly happened? Xiaye and Chairman Mu..."

Deng Wenwen's expression turned even colder and she did not answer. Instead, Yue Lingsi replied vindictively, "They're doing this on purpose!"

"Mother, don't put it that way!" Xi Xinyi tugged at Yue Lingsi's sleeve.

"What now? Just what is that attitude of hers? Is that how Shen Wenna taught her daughter to behave?" Yue Lingsi was still furious about what Xi Mushan had said to her that morning. She was really frustrated!

However, only she herself knew that there was something else brewing aside from her anger!

She thought that after Xi Xinyi got together with Han Yifeng, and since she was Xi Mushan's wife, she was a level above Shen Wenna no matter what. Every time she thought about Shen Wenna's cold expression, she was really mad and she just wanted to best her in everything.

However, Xi Mushan could not forget Shen Wenna, and with Xi Xiaye involving herself with a legendary figure such as Mu Yuchen, how could she be not angry about this?

She was starting to blame God. Why was it even with such excellent traits, she still lost to Shen Wenna?

With just her background, she was leaps and bounds above Shen Wenna!

Speaking of appearances and talents, just what could a lecturer do? Moreover, Yue Lingsi had been one of the top beauties when she had still been in university!

As for their mannerisms, she was raised in a prestigious family since she was young. There was no way Shen Wenna could be better than her!

She never expected that their conflict would reach their daughters as well. She had gone through so much just to become Xi Mushan's wife, and when she thought she could finally step on her...

Actually, she never really got anything. Aside from securing the title of the Mayor's wife, Xi Mushan had never entered her room after their marriage, and he would never touch a single drop of alcohol at home. He prepared a single bed in his study room which was where he slept.

It was hard to believe, but it was the truth.

Others thought they were a model couple that respected each other, but only they themselves knew the truth. For more than twenty years, they treated each other coldly, and she clearly understood that Xi Mushan hated her.

It was very rare for someone like Xi Mushan to hate someone, but once he started resenting someone, it was nearly impossible to forgive. Yue Lingsi was a sound example.

Their relationship had been in the same horrible state for the past twenty years. The gap was getting wider and wider with the hatred growing more and more gradually.

...

Xi Xiaye pulled Mu Yuchen along the corridor as she led the way in.

Xi Jiyang's room had been moved to a quiet corner. Xi Jiyang's private doctor, Dr. Li, was on his way out with his medical box when they arrived in front of the room. The nurse behind him had a tray with three empty liquid vials: one large and two small.

"Mayor!" Dr. Li greeted respectfully when he saw Xi Mushan while the nurse behind him bowed courteously.

"Mmm, what's the situation? Did he wake up?" Xi Mushan nodded and asked quietly.

Dr. Li nodded and replied, "He just woke up. You can ask your servants to prepare some porridge for him. He's in a jolly mood today. If he keeps this up, it's going to be helpful for his recovery."

"Mmm, thank you." Xi Mushan moved away to let Dr. Li pass.

Dr. Li smiled. "I'll head back to the hospital now. Give me a call if you need anything. I'll come over tomorrow morning and check up on him."

"Okay, Ah Hui, send Dr. Li off."

"Yes, Mayor!"

Dr. Li's smile faded away. He was stunned for a moment when he walked past Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. Before he could react, Xi Xiaye and Xi Mushan went inside the room.

...

"You guys are back!"

Xi Jiyang could hear Xi Mushan's voice from inside the room as a rare smile appeared on his face when he saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye. Undeniably, he was in a good mood.

They went beside Xi Jiyang's bed and called out to him, "Grandfather."

Xi Jiyang struggled to get up. "Have a seat. Don't just stand there. Have some tea and play chess with me."

Xi Xiaye's expression darkened slightly. Xi Jiyang was well aware of his own condition, yet he did not want them to worry. These happy moments were rare and precious to him now.

Xi Xiaye did not move an inch as Mu Yuchen bent over and helped Xi Jiyang to get up. Xi Mushan was getting the tea ready on the coffee table.

Seeing Mu Yuchen help Xi Jiyang walk slowly towards the sofa, it was difficult for Xi Xiaye to watch. She considered what to say before going over.

Mu Yuchen helped Xi Jiyang sit down. He put a pillow behind him as he asked quietly, "How do you feel lately?"

Xi Jiyang nodded with a smile. "Pretty good. I'm just a little tired, but I should be able to recover in a few days. You guys should sit down too."

Mu Yuchen smiled and sat down opposite Xi Jiyang while Xi Xiaye sat down beside him.

Xi Jiyang's frail hands trembled slightly as he took the tea that Xi Mushan handed him. He took a sip, then pointed to the Chinese chess set beside him and looked to Mu Yuchen to say, "Let's have a game, shall we?"

Mu Yuchen set the cup in his hand aside and nodded.

Xi Xiaye watched a smile surface underneath Xi Jiyang's aged face, yet she could feel a sense of loss and loneliness coming from him. With a sigh, she arranged the chess set for them while Xi Mushan sat down beside Xi Jiyang and watched them play.

Xi Xiaye was not very skilled at chess, so she would not be able to give Mu Yuchen any suggestion even if she watched them. Instead, it was Xi Mushan across her who clearly had more knowledge about chess, so he became Xi Jiyang's strategist.

After one round, Mu Yuchen's great skills were showcased. He kept on getting into a tie with Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan, so they ended the session as such.

"If you're busy and can't come back often, it's fine. Wait for me to recover, then perhaps I can go over to visit you two." Xi Jiyang sipped his tea as he looked at the husband and wife across him. He could not help but smile.

"We're not busy on the weekends. Besides, Mother has been hoping for us to come home and visit. There are some things that we obviously cannot overlook."

Xi Xiaye lowered her head to separate the chess pieces on the board, her clear voice was like a cool breeze making its way around the maple forest, it was calm, no emotions could be heard.

At the same moment Shen Wenna was brought up, Xi Mushan who was beside Xi Jiyang immediately shifted in expression. He abruptly paused and then continued what he was doing.

When Xi Jiyang heard this, his expression turned stiff and there was dimness in his eyes. He could not help but sigh, "Your mother is a person who understands the big picture. It's us Xis that let her down... Had we known..."

Xi Jiyang let his sentence trail off. Instead, he sighed sadly and put the cup in hand down.

Hearing Xi Jiyang, Xi Xiaye's hand that held one of the chess pieces froze. Without looking up at him, she just said calmly, "Mother's quite a forgiving person. She didn't blame you guys all these years. Furthermore, she could continue living her life peacefully and there's nothing bad about that. She likes the peace and quiet."

Xi Jiyang thought about it and said softly, "I know. You've been unhappy because of all the things Xinyi has done in the past. All these years that you haven't really been home either is because you resent us..."

Xi Xiaye put the chess pieces on the board one by one back into their box. When she heard Xi Jiyang's admission, she fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Xi Jiyang and Xi Mushan. Her gaze was as clear as water and her voice was very gentle. "Let's not talk about the past anymore. I've already forgotten all of those things. Grandfather, just recover at ease. When you're better, you can come by Maple Residence often to visit us.

"I've always hoped for everyone to live more simply, and I've never really blamed you all. After I've explained it to you guys, I hope you won't continue to brood over it. I'm doing really good right now, and I hope that you two can live well too. It's just that simple."

These words were the result of all the mature reflection she had naturally gone through on her end. In her heart, no matter what, she shared the same blood as them. They were her closest kin. That was a fact that could not be erased. After all, they had once protected her and she was grateful. Naturally, she would hope for them to live a decent life.

She had always believed that no one in this world was expected to be kind to you. If you wanted to receive care and respect from someone else, you had to first be the person that freely gave love out.

She did not know whether doing this was right or not. She just knew that certain emotions in her were moved, so she told herself that if she cared about something, she had to work hard to protect it.

She thought about it and added, "When it comes to some grudges, you two can just stay out of it. That way, everyone will fare better."

She could be very forgiving, but there were some things that she still could not let go of.

When she said this, the few of them fell silent. Since no one spoke, the atmosphere felt a little stifled.

Mu Yuchen turned to look at her and saw that she was silently arranging the chess pieces neatly. His eyes that were as deep and distant as the sea flickered for a while. Finally, he turned to Xi Mushan and Xi Jiyang. His tone was low yet calm. "Grandfather, Father, about Xi Xiaye's past. Neither do I want to know, nor have it mentioned. As she said, let's forget it.

"We're planning to have our wedding in June. Next month, the Mu family will send the betrothal gifts to the Shen residence and West Park simultaneously. I hope that we can have your blessings. Allow us to have an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime wedding."

"Wedding? So soon?" Xi Mushan and Xi Jiyang were both shocked. Previously, they heard that they planned to have the wedding in October.

"I wanted to rightfully take her as my wife earlier." Facing their shocked expressions, Mu Yuchen laughed casually. "So, this time, we've mainly come to see Grandfather, and at the same time, tell you about this."

Xi Mushan nodded. Naturally, he was satisfied with the way Mu Yuchen did things. He was humble and did not forget etiquette, executing things steadily and rigorously. Of course, Xi Mushan knew that the reason they would send the bethrotal gifts to West Park at the same time was to give Xi Mushan the honor.

Quite a while after that, Xi Mushan said, "Okay, I'll get people to attend to it. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Just leave the wedding stuff to the Mu family, you are the VIP, we will just have your blessings."

Mu Yuchen smiled calmly and humbly.

...

The men were still chatting while Xi Xiaye had already left the room. She was planning on going to her previous room for a look, especially since she had not stepped foot into it for so long.

Xi Mushan had said the servants would frequently sweep it, so the room was still very clean. Actually, there were not many things that belonged to her in there. Back then, when she had moved out, she had pretty much brought everything she could with her. As for those that she could not, she just threw them away.

On the empty bed and along the windowsill on the right, there were still all the numerous plushies that Han Yifeng had given her. She always wanted to tell him that she was not a little girl anymore and did not like these things anymore, but when he gave them to her, she still felt thrilled about it for a very long time.

However, all of it had now become the past. When the wind blew, the feelings faded and there was nothing much left in the end.

She walked over and pulled open the tightly shut curtains as the chime of a bell was heard. She looked up and noticed that the little doll hanging by her bed was gently swaying.

It looked like something that Han Yifeng had given her for a certain festival.

She stared at it quietly for a long time, then touched the little doll's head with her fingertips. Her beautiful face flashed with a faint smile as she said softly, "Goodbye, little fellow!"

Then, she took it down and threw it into the dustbin on the side. When she turned her head, she saw Xi Xinyi standing by the door.

Xi Xiaye looked at her, then looked away indifferently.

Still, Xi Xinyi walked in and after a while, she was behind her. She looked at the doll that she had tossed into the dustbin. Upon seeing that Xi Xiaye had already turned away without so much of a second look at her, her expression instantly turned cold.

"I know you did those things! You've managed to take your revenge, Xi Xiaye!" Xi Xinyi's voice was frigid, inevitably mixed with some sharpness. Xi Xiaye did not even need to look when she could already feel the iciness attacking from behind.

The corner of Xi Xiaye's lips curled into a sneer. She picked up the rag doll on the windowsill before her and fiddled with it for a while before saying plainly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop acting dumb! You've managed to push me out of showbiz. Do you feel satisfied? Everything that has happened right now is all thanks to you! In order to pummel me down, you didn't spare claiming a connection to Mu Yuchen. I've really underestimated you."

Xi Xinyi's chest was filled with anger that could not be pushed down.

Yes, anger!

Anger from all the bitter experiences she had gone through so far!

Her initially brilliant road to stardom had been destroyed overnight, and the deep love that she and Han Yifeng had when they were joined by the hip was now a mess. All the many problems she was going through seemed to befall her at once. She almost could not bear it and was close to a breakdown, yet the cause of these disasters lived so comfortably. She could not stand such a contrast!

"To pummel you down, I connected with Mu Yuchen?"

When Xi Xiaye heard Xi Xinyi, she almost laughed out loud. She calmly turned around and looked apathetically at Xi Xinyi with a calm gaze looked as if she was watching an amusing clown. "You think too highly of yourself! Now, with all of these things added up, it's not even enough to compensate for all the things you've done to me, even if I add interest in! Especially with your high-quality mother who's a daughter from a prestigious family. She wrecked her own best friend's family and was willing to be a third party. How can someone lacking inner quality and awareness continue to live on this Earth? If I were her, I'd have long killed myself by committing seppuku."

Xi Xiaye's voice was very calm like still water. There was not a hint of her feeling wavered.

"Don't make yourself seem all high and mighty! Didn't you still offer yourself as part of a business deal? Don't tell me that you really married Mu Yuchen for so-called love? Weren't you still terribly in love with Yifeng a while ago? Yet, you immediately turned around and fell in love with another man. Xi Xiaye, I never knew you were so philanthropic!"

She could not blame Xi Xinyi for thinking like that. When she thought about how things had unfolded, there was no way Xi Xiaye could have married Mu Yuchen for love. She had already learned a bit about Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye's situation. Mu Yuchen only returned from New York close to the end of last year and they did not know each other before that.

If that was the case, then Xi Xinyi deduced that there must be some sort of serendipity that brought them together, or maybe Xi Xiaye had gone to Mu Yuchen and the two of them had a secret deal between them such as an agreement or something. After all, even though Mu Yuchen was low-profile and cold, the rumors about him in the circle were mysterious.

Obviously, her acting had gotten into her head, so she could only think of such reasons!

When she heard this, Xi Xiaye was not enraged. Instead, she smiled faintly at Xi Xinyi. The light in her eyes looked like she was mulling it over. "Offer myself as part of a business deal? You can go ask Mu Yuchen and see what kind of answer he'll give you. Even if that is so, that proves that I'm charming. Otherwise, why didn't he fancy you instead? I remember that at the Glory World annual meeting and the opening ceremony of Imperial Sky Entertainment City, you fawned over him quite a bit. Did he take one look at you, celebrity Xi?"

Xi Xiaye realized that her ability for a wicked comeback had grown since being with that man.

"Haven't you always boasted about yourself having both talent and looks? You have a strong background and the status to go with it. As a princess with the world revolving around you, how did you fall to this sorry state? Do you have a very deep understanding of the words 'it serves you right' now?"

As she watched Xi Xinyi's little face become increasingly stormy and unfathomable as well as that cold light that gathered and leaped in her eyes, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt particularly satisfied. The fact that she could make her mask fail and cause her to act this way was not that easy to come by. Should she be giving Mu Yuchen's hard work a 'like'?

"Don't be so flustered. From what I remember, you are someone who doesn't panic easily. The show has just begun, so don't show your cards so quickly. Otherwise, how are we going to keep playing? Do you feel especially unhappy? If you do, then cry, put on an act again in front of the whole family, squeeze a few more drop of tears out. Isn't that your master skill?"

"Slut!" Xi Xinyi was finally triggered to the point that she could not help but curse out loud with clenched fists. The hostility in her eyes showed and she suddenly could not care about anything else as she shouted, "Stop trying to accuse me! You're the fickle slut. You and your mother's noble and virtuous appearances are annoying! So what if I'm an illegitimate daughter? Haven't I bested you? Your fiancé still fell in love with me, didn't he?