Perhaps, that way, they were even luckier than the other children because Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had taken in she and Mu Lingtian as their own. Furthermore, their love and care for them had even surpassed that for Mu Yuchen.

To them, Mu Yuchen was more like an elder brother that needed to protect them.

The Mu family was very strict with their chidren. When they studied, no one had given them special treatment for their statuses.

However, in these past few years, they all understood in their hearts that Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were actually just their biological uncle and aunt, and not their parents.

Had she ever thought of looking for her father?

To be honest, she had. Even when Mu Lingtian was still around, she had.

Mu Lingtian's expression looked rather gloomy and held mixed emotions. This matter could not be raised in the Mu family, so she had just kept it buried. No one wanted to break the peace they had, but there were some things that some people just wanted to get to the bottom of, at least, to put themselves at ease or just to understand.

Mu Lingshi was one of them.

( NovelFull ) "I've heard Ah Mo mention that you've asked about Aunt from Caitlin's manager," Mu Yuchen spoke softly. His profound gaze remained fixed on her dim little face.

Upon hearing this, Mu Lingshi did not deny it. She just nodded very frankly. "Yes, I wanted to know what happened to my mother years ago. Why would she fall into depression, and why did that man not marry her? She already gave birth to Lingtian, but that man wasn't willing to marry her and love her? Why did she still want to give birth to me?

"Caitlin's manager's mentor seemed to have worked with my mother before. She was my mother's manager for quite a long time, so I thought that maybe she'd know something. Bro, I'm not doing this because of anything. You, Father and Mother have been very kind to me, but I want some answers for myself. At least, I'd like to know, who my biological parents are."

When she finished, Mu Yuchen nodded calmly. "I understand. Father and Mother have previously tried to investigate too, but Aunt didn't leave behind any hints at all. In the few years that she was in the showbiz, she kept her private life very low-profile. Apart from the usual work, she rarely left the house and not many people were in touch with her too. Before I returned, I had them investigate this matter thoroughly again, but until now, it hasn't been fruitful. Aunt didn't leave any information about that person behind at all.

"Mmm, and it's been years now, so it's not easy to investigate it again. We can only rely on those fragmented information to sift through slowly bit by bit. Bro, just let me do this. I believe that I'll be able to find that person. I've already narrowed Mother's social circle down back then. I'll make a deduction of them one by one. I'm sure I'll find him."

"You are quite the same as your sis-in-law. Sometimes, you just like to try to be brave. Okay, I'll think about this. Rest earlier and don't think too much," Mu Yuchen said, then unhurriedly lifted a hand to pat Mu Lingshi on the shoulder. He said empathetically, "Some things will be clear one day. I hope that you can have a happier life. As for anything other than that, they aren't that important," he said before his tall figure walked in and he quickly disappeared out of the door.

...

Through a dreamless night, she saw that the man was gone when she woke up. Xi Xiaye got up in a daze and saw the light-colored muslin dress and the flats prepared on the table beside her.

She swiftly got up to wash up, then changed. The clothes and shoes were the right size. The weather was not very hot; it was not the scorching kind of hot weather, so wearing these were perfectly refreshing and suitable.

The morning breeze was very refreshing. It carried the faint smell of the sea breeze with it. When the room quieted down, you could even hear the waves lapping against the shores. Xi Xiaye reached out to draw the curtains that were swaying in the cool breeze. She wanted to see the scenery outside, but she was caught off-guard when Mu Yuchen's figure greeted her sight as he sat leisurely on the rattan chair drinking tea on the balcony.

When he heard the sound from behind him, he turned around in that instant to look at her."Awake?"

He had changed into a casual gray outfit. Apart from looking exceptionally handsome, he also seemed somewhat more cheerful.

"Morning!" she softly responded. She walked over, then very casually took the flower tea from him and finished it in a few gulps. "Where are we going today? Didn't Ah Shi say she was going to be our guide?"

"She has to make a trip to Los Angeles with Ah Mo today. I'll bring you out later, and we'll walk around this little town. Then, in the afternoon, we'll go around the periphery. We just have to be back on the fifth, okay?"

She handed the cup back to him and asked, "Are you saying that it'll just be the two of us driving ourselves around?"

Mu Yuchen chuckled without a word. His gaze that contained tenderness and doting already answered her.

When she saw this, she smiled happily. "Mr. Mu, you know me so well!"

"Obviously? You're my wife. Of course, I know you. Otherwise, why would people describe couples as two hearts as one and in perfect harmony?"

"Is that so?"

"What do you think?"

"Ugh, annoying!"

...

After a simple breakfast, the husband and wife went straight to the little town market and prepared the things for their holiday.

Initially, Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo were going to prepare it for them, but Mu Yuchen disagreed. After he arranged the matters, he had made them retreat. Now, only he and Xiaye were left.

After walking around the market with her, Xi Xiaye suddenly realized this guy seemed to be very well versed with living in the wild. All the maps, Swiss knives, and some medication were all sufficiently prepared. In fact, when he prepared them, he had very patiently explained it all to her. Now, he seemed more like an earnest teacher, teaching her a course on survival skills.

Ah Mo had already prepared an SUV for them. When everything was prepared, they departed.

Their first destination was an ancient historical city in the depths of the savanna. The ancient city was built from beautiful castles. In fact, it was halfway up a mountain too.

"Get in." Mu Yuchen got into the car and knocked on the car window to signal Xi Xiaye to get in too. She was outside looking at the map.

Xi Xiaye nodded and sat in the front passenger seat unhurriedly. There were more than 10 SUVs behind them as everyone made their way to the same place. They were a fleet of cars all with skilled drivers behind the wheels.

The car drove on the broad highway while some drum tunes, as well as some pleasant singing, could be heard from the car behind.

As they went further, the road started to get a little rocky. When cars sped past them, sand and dust flew up everywhere. However, Mu Yuchen maneuvered the car expertly and Xi Xiaye was having fun in the front passenger seat with a camera. She took some photos of the scenery from time to time.

"Mr. Mu, look over here!" she called out to him. Mu Yuchen turned his head over, and in that instant, she pressed the button on the camera.

He smiled. "You can get some rest now. I'll wake you up when we've arrived. Didn't you say you wanted to take a nap just now? The scenery there will be much better. Save up your energy for the surprises there."

Xi Xiaye nodded and put her camera away. "I'll take a nap then. Wake me up after an hour and I'll drive."

"Okay."

He patted her head before she went to sleep.

In contrast to their relaxed journey, a storm was brewing in City Z.

In the Grand Waves villa area, Qi Lei was sitting by the dining table having his breakfast quietly while an elegant lady was sitting right opposite him.

She wore a luxurious-looking qipao with her hair tied into a bun. With a sharp chin and fair skin, her eyes seemed sharp and her lips were pink and tiny. She looked around 30 years of age. There was a special aura around her even when she was just casually sitting down.

She was Qi Lei's biological mother, Wang Qin, the current Vice CEO of Qi Kai Corporation. She possessed a third of all Qi Kai's stock and was well-known throughout the industry for strategizing the firm's business tactics. Needless to say, she held an important position in the Qi Kai Corporation. Even the CEO of Qi Kai, Qi Qiming, had to be wary of her.

Qi Lei's appearance was mostly inherited from her. However, he did not get any of the threatening aura.

The two of them sat opposite each other without saying anything. They were just eating breakfast in silence.

Qi Lei swallowed the food in his mouth as he looked at Wang Qin and spoke indifferently, "When are you going back home? You've been staying over here for quite some days. Aren't you worried that that man will bring those women back and take you out of your position?"

Wang Qin suddenly raised her head and looked at Qi Lei with a cold smile. "He can keep bringing them back if he's not worried about what I'll do to those women! Do you think I've never dealt with this before? Which one of them can stand before me?" She sounded like she did not care.

"He won't give you Qi Kai until his death if you keep on fighting with him like this. Isn't your plan going to fail then? He's really against the both of us, you know. Just look at how he treated me all these years," Qi Lei answered with a wicked grin.

Wang Qin's expression darkened as she grabbed a tissue and cleaned her mouth. After drinking some milk, she looked at Qi Lei. "I'm worried about you, but you talk to me like this? Xiao Lei, can't you put in more effort and let Qi Qiming see what you're made of? I believe you're definitely better than Qi Feng. You're Qi Kai's true successor. Qi Feng is just an illegitimate child. He knew how to make Qi Qiming happy. Can't you do it?"

Qi Lei shrugged and laughed. "My dear mother, you've overestimated your son. This is the real me. I don't know anything except some simple architecture design. Look, you're brother's stepmother. It'd be bad if someone heard what you said, wouldn't it? Brother is better and cooler than me. How can I measure up to him?"

"Xiao Lei, don't ever tell me this again! You're the only legitimate successor of the Qi family. I don't care how well Qi Qiming treated Qi Feng. I'm his wife, so everything in the Qi family belongs to you. I'm telling you now, Xiao Lei. They won't be grateful even if you don't fight for it. You don't have to be considerate about people like them, understand?"

Wang Qin looked at Qi Lei with concern. A rage started burning inside her when she saw Qi Lei acting indifferently to what she said.

"Understand what? I don't understand. I'm not interested in the company anyway. Let him give whoever he wants. What are you worrying about? Moreover, Brother is long gone, isn't he? I'm the only son in this family now. Who else can he pass it on to?" When Qi Lei was talking, he was staring right at Wang Qin.

Wang Qin's expression darkened as her tone of voice turned cold and sharp. "Have you seen Qi Feng's corpse? How are you so sure that he's dead? Xiao Lei, are you still blaming Mother for not letting you and Gu Lingsha get together? You were never like this before, Xiao Lei! I'm your mother and I did all of these for your sake! Why can't you understand me? Why do you insist on wearing me out?"

She sounded helpless at the end of her rant. "You don't understand Qi Feng at all, Xiao Lei. That person is just like his mother, full of tricks. You're a kind person and that's good, but you have to be wary of others! A woman like Gu Lingsha doesn't suit you!"

"The person who's going to fall in love and get married is me. I have the last say on whether it suits or not. You don't have to worry about it, Mother." Qi Lei laughed coldly.

"I don't care what you think. I'll never let Gu Lingsha marry into the Qi family. Although she seemed like a near perfect woman, she looked severely flawed to me. Xiao Lei, I'm a woman and I know women better than you!"

Wang Qin did not want to continue further, so she stood up and said, "I don't care whether you agree with me or not. As your mother, I'd never hurt my son. Whether you understand or not, I'll get Qi Kai for you as long as I'm here. Qi Qiming took Yue Hai's advice and decided to help Yueying and make it become a company under Qi Kai. What do you think?"

"What do I think? What can I think about it? Don't you guys have the ultimate say over the company matters? I just hold the empty title of a Vice President. That old man can just put me wherever he wants. Does my opinion matter?" Qi Lei pasted an ironic smile on his face before drinking his milk.

"If you know that's the case, why don't you perform better in front of Qi Qiming? There are a lot of things you need to fight for yourself. Do you think Qi Qiming will just give it to you if you don't fight for it? He won't! I'm suspecting that Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha didn't really die in that accident, but I couldn't find anything at all and there's no news from the Gu family as well."

Wang Qin's expression seemed grave. "I believe that Qi Feng is still alive, and I can feel that Qi Qiming is about to do something soon. If you're not careful, you might be attacked from the back! Do you still remember that you were framed when you first entered the company? I'm sure you know what's happening. I'm not going to say any further, but be careful on your own."

Wang Qin then picked her handbag up and left.

Qi Lei was still sitting there. His eyes shifted for a moment as some emotions roiled within them, but he smiled sinisterly after that.

If Qi Feng was not dead, then...

Was she alive as well?

Just what happened to them all these years? Why was there no news at all?

Qi Lei clenched his glass as his expression turned sad for a moment.

...

The car traveled into the small town in the evening. Xi Xiaye woke up when they arrived in the town. When she heard him opening the door, she opened her eyes and noticed that he had already driven halfway up the hill.

"Come and take a look!" He reached out his arms to her, signaling her to go over.

Xi Xiaye stopped beside him and looked toward the direction he was facing to see numerous castles built around the mountain. It was a grand view with the sunset.

The evening breeze gently lifted her hair as she looked over the small town in awe. Around them was a huge green patch of field and amidst the empty surroundings, only this town existed here, just like how she met him after struggling for many years. From that moment onwards, her fate had been altered.

She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the moment, only opening them a while later. She turned toward him to see him still enjoying the view of this small town. He had a peaceful expression on his face as the evening breeze messed up his hair a little. With a light giggle, she smoothened it down for him. However, his hand grabbed hers suddenly.

She reacted quickly and retracted her hand as she narrowed her eyes at him.

He looked at his empty hands and laughed, sneaking up on her before she could react.

Xi Xiaye backed off and smiled. "Okay, let's go and find lodging. The sun is going to set!"

He stared at her. "It's too late for you to think about that already, slowpoke!"

The place they stayed in was not a five-star hotel. It was just a simple homestay located at the back of the town, similar to the one they had stayed in before. There was a short white fence around the house as well as many exotic flowers surrounding it.

The owners of the homestay was a local, old married couple who seemed kind and friendly. When the two of them arrived, they welcomed them wholeheartedly.

Uncle Sam gave them a cheerful violin performance whilst several old neighbors started playing hand drums and the harmonica.

Aunt Susan could dance wildly and they dragged Xi Xiaye along to burst out into a crazy rabbit dance.

The sky turned dark completely and the town was lit up. Beautiful lights shrouded the meadows with a mysterious vibe. As Aunt Susan delivered some food over, several other young travelers started preparing the barbeque tools.

Mu Yuchen stood aside and watched as the little woman who was dragged into the dance. The genuinely delighted expression on her face was encoded into his mind, softening his heart.

He had never seen her happier. It was the right decision to go there.

A lot of woe had piled up recently, especially for her.

The dance was still ongoing, so with a smile, he went forward and took over the violin from Uncle Sam. Then, he started playing along with the upbeat tempo.

The crowd gave him a round of applause. Even Xi Xiaye turned toward him in surprise.

He could play the violin!

Just how many more secrets could she find out about him?

Xi Xiaye raised her eyebrows, but before she could give it some thought, the crowd joined in as the dance went on.

After a long time—

"Ah!"

Xi Xiaye sat down on a bench as she panted. Mu Yuchen, who had been waiting for her, handed her a glass of wine. "Tired?"

Xi Xiaye took a few sips before she shook her head. "I'm alright. I feel like living here is so peaceful and happy."

"Their lives are simple, so there isn't much stress, and it might be because of their personalities as well," he replied with a smile as his quiet eyes still studied the merry bunch.

"Mmm, sometimes I wish I could be like them, but like you said, your happiness is always seen in the eyes of others. We'll be like them, won't we, Mr. Mu?" Her pink lips formed a beautiful arc as she raised her wine glass slightly.

He put on a gentle smile and spoke softly, "Of course, we'll be even happier than them!"