Mu Yuchen was already back home when she arrived. He frowned and gave her an earful before preparing the bath water for her.

After they switched the lights off, the two of them lay down on the bed. Mu Yuchen was suddenly reminded about something and he looked at Xi Xiaye. After some hesitation, he said, "Xiaye, I have something to tell you."

"Mmm? What's up?" Xi Xiaye opened her eyes that were bright like glittering stars.

"I just heard that Father has resigned," Mu Yuchen said.

Resigned!

"You mean he quit his position as Mayor?"

Xi Xiaye quickly sat up in shock and opened her eyes wide as she stared at him blankly.

Mu Yuchen nodded. "This is the second time. Father told me that he was rejected the first time, but this time..."

"Why did he do that?" Xi Xiaye was at a loss. While she did not understand what was going on with Xi Mushan much, she knew that citizens had positive reactions towards him being the Mayor, and rumors said he would be promoted very soon. It was his prime time right now, so why would he quit?

"Why? You know the answer yourself," Mu Yuchen sighed, covering himself with the blanket and went to sleep. Xi Xiaye was still looking at him blankly. After some time, she mumbled, "You mean he did this for Mother?"

"He must've been struggling all these years. What would you have done if you were in his shoes?"

Xi Xiaye closed her eyes and gave it a long thought. In the end, she shook her head. "I don't know..."

"I think he wanted to escape, or maybe he just wants a fresh start. However, it seems pretty difficult on Mother's end."

He used one arm as a pillow for his head while his other hand played with her long hair.

"A fresh start? Father and Yue Lingsi are still married. Moreover, there's Xi Xinyi between them. How can he get a fresh start now?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Father will be able to divorce Yue Lingsi these few days. He quit his career. Apart from for Mother's sake, it's also to avoid being threatened again. From what I know, they should have some kind of secret against Father. There's no way else he would've endured it through all these years. He's not the kind of person who lusts for power," Mu Yuchen analyzed, his eyes turning cold.

"These few days? You guys found evidence of Yue Lingsi cheating and gave it to Father?" Xi Xiaye's eyes brightened up as she realized what must have happened!

A wry smile appeared on the man's face. "Can't you let me say it to satisfy my manly pride?"

Xi Xiaye rolled her eyes at him. She did not reply and asked instead, "What secret do they have against Father? If that's the case, can Father still divorce Yue Lingsi successfully?"

"That depends on him, but I have faith in him."

"How do you know he can? Even I have no faith in him... Of course, it'd be best if he can divorce Yue Lingsi. I just asked Mother in the hospital if she still loves him. She closed her eyes and didn't give me a reply, but I saw the tears in the corner of her eyes... So, I think she still misses Father, even when he..."

She lowered her head and went silent. Suddenly, she turned around and looked at him while looking a little lost. "We aren't going to end up like them, right?"

He was helpless against her words. He quickly grabbed her over as his sensual voice reached her ears. "Stop overthinking!"

"If you happen to do that, I'll never forgive you!"

"Missus, Mr. Mu only belongs to you."

"That's more like it!"

In the next two days, they were busy preparing before the holidays. Work had piled up in the office. Fortunately, Vice President Zhang Lan was handling the South River project now. She would not have been able to handle it at the moment.

Mu Yuchen transferred two projects under her to other managers, so she was mainly taking care of the handover. They would need to start preparing for their wedding soon, but they could not just leave their work, hence the handover work must be done now.

Working hours had ended, and most employees had left, so the whole place was quiet.

Inside Xi Xiaye's office, Xi Xiaye took the documents from Xiao Mei. "You can go back now. Happy holidays!"

"Alright, happy holidays too, Director Xi! Please head back earlier!" Xiao Mei left with a smile. When she was at the door, she almost bumped into Mu Yuchen!

"Good evening, Chairman Mu!"

Mu Yuchen nodded slightly before walking past.

"Didn't you go for inspection in Car City? You're back so soon!" Xi Xiaye kept the documents inside her briefcase before she looked at him and asked.

"Ah Mo drove the car back. I have a document to get, so I just came over here to take a look, knowing you'd still be here."

Mu Yuchen handed a document to her, which she slipped into her briefcase as well. "Good timing. Let's visit Mother at the hospital. The doctor just called me and said they gave her a full body checkup today. She can be discharged in two days."

"Mmm, let's go."

Mu Yuchen grabbed her briefcase and put his arm over her shoulders when they walked out.

As they arrived at the hospital, the sky turned dark. The private nurse, Sis Fu, was there. Shen Wenna just had dinner and Sis Fu updated them that Xi Mushan had not been here for the past two days. He seemed to be busy with something.

Inside the room, Xi Xiaye just helped Shen Wenna wash up when Li Si came knocking on the door. He looked at Mu Yuchen with a grim expression. "Master!"

Mu Yuchen helped Shen Wenna lie down before turning over to look at Li Si. He frowned when he noticed something not right with Li Si's expression, so he told Xi Xiaye, "Stay here with Mother for a while. I'll go take a look outside."

Xi Xiaye nodded. "Okay."

Mu Yuchen vanished from the room. Only Xi Xiaye and Shen Wenna were left, and it was quiet in there.

Xi Xiaye covered Shen Wenna with a blanket as she said softly, "Mother, the doctor said your condition is now stable and you can be discharged the day after tomorrow. I've discussed with Mu Yuchen and we decided to have you stay over at Maple Residence. It's easier for us to take care of you."

A comforting smile appeared on Shen Wenna's face when she heard Xi Xiaye's words, yet she shook her head. "Ah Chen and you just got married. Why would I stay with you now? Moreover, there are servants in the Shen Residence too. They can take care of me. You guys should focus on what you need to do."

Shen Wenna suddenly extended her arm to Xi Xiaye and held her hand.

"Your wedding in June is coming up soon. You guys must be busy preparing for it now. Xiaye, I hope you guys can have an unforgettable wedding to fill up the emptiness inside me. Maybe I won't be able to see now, but I'm sure that Ah Chen won't let you down."

Shen Wenna looked rather melancholy despite her calm appearance. Even her eyes seemed lonely as well.

"Mother, yours and Father's wedding back then..." Xi Xiaye pried.

Shen Wenna took a deep breath. She blinked and seemed to be recollecting her memories of the past. After some time, she replied, "Back then, your father and I were in a hurry to marry. The wedding wasn't much. I just put on a veil and married him. We only invited several of our close friends. I was too headstrong back then and only cared about marrying your father. I even tried to break off my relationship with your grandpa... I really..."

"Mother, you were young once! You loved fiercely and courageously. Sometimes, I'm really envious of you. You can do everything for love. I told Mu Yuchen that love back then was really much simpler, and a pure form of happiness." Xi Xiaye smiled.

"However, it's all in the past now. You have to understand this, Xiaye. Promises always sound better when you're in love." Shen Wenna sighed. She had had a taste of it herself, experiencing all kinds of people and matters in life. Who knew what would happen in the end?

No matter how close a relationship was, it could not go up against the fight for benefits, and her love with Xi Mushan died for the sake of this said benefit.

"Mother, Mu Yuchen told me that Father quit his career and has been busy handling divorce with Yue Lingsi." Xi Xiaye was suddenly reminded about this recent development and told Shen Wenna about it, wanting to see her reaction.

Shen Wenna did not say anything, but Xi Xiaye could feel her mother's hand freeze up as she was holding it.

After a while, Xi Xiaye continued, "If Father can do all of that and come back to you, are you still willing to accept him?"

...

In the hospital corridor, Mu Yuchen stood by the railing and looked at the city lights outside.

"What is it?"

Behind him, Li Si nodded. "Master, Elder Xi is in grave condition and might leave us any moment. He's been sent to Townsperson Hospital. I just had a call with Mayor Xi's secretary and found out that Mayor Xi has been taking care of Elder Xi for the past two days. The situation seems dire."

Mu Yuchen's face darkened when he heard Li Si's report.

Some time ago when he visited them with Xiaye, he still seemed alright even though he was unable to walk very well. It was happening all too soon.

"Do you know the exact condition?" he asked quietly.

"The doctors have already concluded he can't live past this year, and with the conflicts in the Xi family, he's probably been exhausted by it all already. Especially if Yue Lingsi's matter is exposed, we don't know if he can take the impact."

Of course, Mu Yuchen was aware of what Li Si just said. He was worried about this and held back his thoughts. He wanted to wait until Xi Mushan's divorce before deciding to use this trump card or not.

"Master, on the other hand, Mayor Xi and Yue Lingsi are now officially divorced effectively starting today."

Li Si had gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau to investigate and confirm that Xi Mushan and Yue Lingsi were divorced. It seemed like the documents were a big impact on Yue Lingsi!

The Yue family did not interfere throughout the whole process because when Xi Mushan received the evidence of Yue Lingsi cheating, the exact same document was delivered to Elder Yue!

The Yue family was not stupid. If this was exposed, not only would the reputation of the Xi family be affected, but the Yue family would also be implicated as well! So, they chose to be quiet and hoped for this to be handled carefully.

A faint light flashed past Mu Yuchen's eyes.

Was he free now?

What about Shen Wenna?

Mu Yuchen understood Xi Mushan's behavior very well. He was trying to escape from this huge vortex of conflicts.

"Mmm, good," Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply as he looked at the city lights downward. "How about the thing I asked you to investigate? Are there any results yet?"

"There is, Master! I was just about to tell you." Li Si replied as he handed a document to Mu Yuchen. "This is what happened..."

"Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi's mother are best friends. Yue Lingsi fell in love with Mayor Xi, but Mayor Xi was madly in love with Teacher Shen. In order to force Teacher Shen away, they... When that happened, Elder Xi was aware of what was happening, but it was during the time of his potential promotion, and the person above him was Elder Yue, so..." Li Si sighed before Mu Yuchen took the document from him and looked through it.

"Elder Xi would probably never know the amount of trouble it brought Mayor Xi. Mayor Xi isn't Deng Wenwen's child, and in the Xi family, Deng Wenwen wasn't as powerful as she is now since Elder Xi was still above her. Coincidentally, because of her fault, Yueying faced a crisis, so in order to gain power, she... took photos of Mayor Xi and Yue Lingsi when they were in the act. It seems like Yue Lingsi herself was unaware. It must be a way to guard against Yue Lingsi and the Yue family. This old lady really cunning!" Li Si frowned as he spoke.

"So, I'm sure Mayor Xi succumbed to the pressure all these years. With the Yue family backing him up, Yueying was able to get through the crisis and went on to be successful."

Mu Yuchen quickly looked through the documents as he listened to Li Si's analysis. He closed the document and gave it back to him after that.

"Soon, after that, Yue Lingsi went abroad because she got pregnant that night and had been in contact with Deng Wenwen," Li Si continued.

"How did Deng Wenwen confirm that the child in Yue Lingsi's womb was Xi Mushan's?" Mu Yuchen squinted his eyes and looked at Li Si.

"They did a DNA test when Yue Lingsi was two months pregnant and confirmed it was Xi Mushan's child, so she let Yue Lingsi keep the child and then we know what happened after that. Teacher Shen was kept in the dark. Xi Mushan probably had no idea about that night until Yue Lingsi brought Xi Xinyi back."

Li Si flipped through the document and took a look. "To confirm it, I've sent someone over to the hospital who did the DNA test back then, but it was too long ago and the hospital has moved many times. That information might have been lost already. However, since Deng Wenwen treated them so well, there's probably no error here."

If that was the case, why did Deng Wenwen not stand up for her when Xi Mushan wanted a divorce this time?

Was there any other reason?

From what he knew, Xi Mushan did not publicize those records. First of all, he was being considerate about Elder Xi. Secondly, being cheated on was not something to boast about, and lastly, if he gave too much pressure, he might get a counteraction instead.

Could he have gotten the things from Deng Wenwen, or did she decide to be a bystander because of some other factor?

Suddenly, Mu Yuchen put on a cold smile.

If he exposed this right now and Yueying fell, how would this old woman feel?

"Master, what should we do now?" Li Si put the documents away and asked.

Mu Yuchen's expression was calm as usual, yet there was a hidden coldness in his eyes. The temperature in his tone dropped as well. "Wait."

"Wait? Master... This..."

"Make a call and find out more about Xi Jiyang's condition now." Mu Yuchen did not explain and gave his next instructions. Then, he turned around and went back toward the room.

Just before he arrived in the room, Xi Xiaye walked out and closed the door carefully.

"Mother has fallen asleep. Let's head back too," Xi Xiaye said quietly as she saw him walking over.

With a nod, Mu Yuchen put an arm over her shoulder as they went out.

...

As they walked towards the car, Xi Xiaye went to the front passenger seat. Mu Yuchen was driving.

She let him fasten her seatbelt as she said tiredly, "I want to visit Grandfather in West Park soon. I feel kind of uneasy this few days, but there's so much work to do, so I delayed it."

Mu Yuchen's eyes went blank. He paused and looked at her for a while before agreeing, "Let's go tomorrow. I heard he's not doing very well. He's been sent to the hospital. Father didn't come because he's taking care of him."

"Grandfather has been hospitalized?" Xi Xiaye frowned and her face was strained when she heard Mu Yuchen.

"Li Si just told me. Grandfather's situation doesn't seem very good."

"He even called me several days ago. How could it be...?"

Xi Xiaye was getting anxious. Just as she was about to say something else, the phone inside her pocket started vibrating. She took her phone out and saw it was Xi Mushan calling, so she quickly answered the call.

"Father?" Her voice sounded anxious as she had a bad premonition.

As expected, Xi Mushan's grim voice came through the phone.

"It's me, Xiaye! Are you with Ah Chen right now?"

"He's right beside me," Xi Xiaye replied.

"Mmm, come over to Townsperson Hospital now. Block 4, 18th floor, room 4. We're losing your grandfather. He wants to see you and Ah Chen before he leaves!"

Xi Mushan hung up after telling her to come.

Those words were imprinted onto Xi Xiaye's mind. Her whole body froze and her hand started trembling as she dropped her phone the moment Xi Mushan hung up on the call.

Pa!

The phone fell and Mu Yuchen turned to look at her. He was shocked to see her face turn so pale all of a sudden. He quickly grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him worriedly. "What's wrong? Hmm? Why do you look so pale?"

Xi Xiaye seemed lost. She just let him shake her for a bit before she came back to her senses. Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw his concerned look while her throat started to tighten as she spoke, "Father said we're losing Grandfather. He told us to go to Townsperson Hospital now."

...

In room 4 on the 18th floor of Townsperson Hospital in City Z.

Xi Jiyang's room.

Only Xi Mushan was beside Xi Jiyang when Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen arrived.

Xi Jiyang was on the bed with numerous tubes connected to various parts of his body.

His breathing was very weak and he must be in a lot of pain as he was frowning the whole time. Evidently, his body was really frail.

"Father..." Xi Xiaye covered her nose slightly as she called out to Xi Mushan. She noticed that Xi Mushan's eyes were red as well and he looked exhausted.

"Father," Mu Yuchen greeted him too.

Xi Mushan nodded and then looked towards Xi Jiyang on the bed. "He's still conscious now. He kept on saying that he wants to see you two. Go see him."

Xi Mushan then walked to the balcony.

"Grandfather..."

Xi Xiaye sat by the bedside. She held Xi Jiyang's gaunt hands and started to tear up. She sobbed a little. "How are you feeling? Mu Yuchen and I are here."

Xi Jiyang's eyelids flickered slightly when he heard Xi Xiaye's voice. He struggled to open his eyes to look at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye before him.