Things went on till late night and Xi Xiaye soon got drunk. After wandering around for a bit, she did not know how she got back to the room, but she vaguely remembered Mu Yuchen wiping her face and changing her clothes for her. After that, she had no idea what happened.

Her head felt heavy when she woke up the next morning. Although Mu Yuchen was not with her, she saw that he had prepared a white outfit right beside her. She left the room after washing up.

A cool breeze welcomed her while the grassy scent in the air felt fresh. She walked toward the veranda and lifted the curtains when she heard laughter outside. Outside, she saw some people playing tennis. They were two pairs of very young couples on the court, attracting a crowd around them.

Xi Xiaye slowly went to the staircase and watched from afar as she leaned against the railing.

In a nearby field, there was the sound of galloping advancing nearer. When she glanced over, she saw people riding horses.

...( NovelFull )

She once wished to do the same things as them such as play tennis, ride a horse across a huge field, or walk through a crowded street with their hands held tightly together. She thought she would never have the chance to experience what was lost in the past ever again.

Unexpectedly, she was able to revisit the past and have such a pleasant moment, so she took the time to enjoy it.

Running, playing around the soft grassy field...

Walking through a narrow and crowded alley with their hands clasped tight, reminiscing the past...

Racing across the field on a horse while they watched the sunset...

These were too beautiful to be true.

Time passed quickly. They gave up their original plan to walk around several towns. Instead, they just stayed there to visit all the nearby attractions.

Night fell. They were heading back to the city they came from soon as it was their wedding tomorrow. The lodge owners had called them several times already, worried that they would miss their wedding with all the fun. Xi Xiaye went back to their room to pack up after dinner. Mu Yuchen had been missing since afternoon, having gone out with Uncle Sam. He told her to get some rest before heading back at night.

Someone knocked on the door when Xi Xiaye was packing up. When she opened the door, she saw Aunt Susan standing outside. Aunt Susan seemed to be very close to Mu Yuchen. After Xi Xiaye asked about it, she found out that she had been in City Z for quite a number of years before and had taught English in a school, but she was fluent in Mandarin as well. Much to her relief, Xi Xiaye did not have to speak English to her.

"Aunt Susan?" Xi Xiaye was surprised to see the kind and gentle Susan outside her door.

"May I come in?" Susan asked politely.

Xi Xiaye nodded and moved away. "Of course, please have a seat!" She then poured a glass of water for Susan.

"Thank you!" Susan accepted the glass of water with a smile on her face. She glanced at Xi Xiaye as her smile got wider. "You're really beautiful, Miss Xiaye."

"Thank you!" Xi Xiaye replied as she sat down on the sofa opposite her.

"I'm surprised that Ah Chen brought you here, but we're really happy to see you guys together." Susan smiled as her eyes softened. "I know you two are here to have your wedding. You have my blessings."

"Thank you, Aunt Susan. Did you know Mu Yuchen from before?" Xi Xiaye voiced out her doubt.

"Haha, I guess you don't know that I was a teacher in City S and I've taught Ah Chen before. After that, he came to New York and we bumped into each other at Wall Street. We've kept in touch ever since. Aside from being teacher and student, we're friends as well. He's a very responsible and diligent man, so you're not making any mistakes marrying him. Back in school, many girls went after him. However, I'm surprised he likes a girl like you!" Susan teased.

Xi Xiaye pursed her lips and smiled. "I'm thankful to fate for leading me to him."

"Well, you're a good girl. I hope you can continue to have faith in him and love him. I've never seen him treat any girl like this before. You're very lucky, and of course, he's lucky to have met you as well."

Xi Xiaye nodded. "Thank you, Aunt Susan. I hope Uncle Sam and you will stay happy and forever in love as well!"

"Love is just a word, but it contains many things that need the both of you to realize together." As Susan ended her sentence, there was the sound of a car stopping outside.

Stunned, Xi Xiaye just nodded and grabbed her luggage as she looked at Susan gratefully., "I'll remember that. Will you and Uncle Sam come to our wedding?"

"We won't be attending your wedding since we've witnessed your happiness here. Alright, it's pretty late now. Time for you to go back. Just in time to sleep when you arrive! Be the prettiest and happiest bride tomorrow!"

...

Mu Yuchen was already waiting for her beside the car when she walked out with the luggage. After bidding farewell, the two of them left swiftly.

She was quiet on the way back, so he asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Xi Xiaye came out of her deep thoughts and mumbled, "Aunt Susan chatted with me just now and she told me she was your teacher. Why didn't you tell me before?"

He laughed. "I forgot to tell you after all the fun we had. Aunt Susan was a very important teacher of mine. She taught me in City S. She's a kind and passionate woman. I hope you can be as happy as you were in the past few days. Didn't you exchange contacts with Teacher Susan? Talk to her more often. You'll learn a lot from her. You have too few friends and too poor EQ. I'm worried that you can't differentiate the good people from the bad, so I'll be there for you."

He wanted her to have more friends, but at the same time, he was worried. After giving it some thought, Mu Yuchen decided he would filter through the friends that she was going to make in the future, then he need not worry about her.

He obviously did not realize that he had already unknowingly let her slip into his life and his social circles.

Some things evolved and silently influenced things with time, settling in without a sound. When one came to realize it, the subtle changes would already have happened. Perhaps, the amount of change would even have accumulated to becoming a fundamental change in effect.

Yet, upon hearing him, Xiaye immediately frowned unhappily. She narrowed her twinkling eyes at him and said begrudgingly, "Is my EQ really that low?"

He nodded calmly. "Yes, very!" he answered swiftly and certainly. Immediately, her beautiful face crumpled.

When he saw that she was unhappy, he cleared his throat and added on, "However, you're a good woman. That I completely agree with."

Then, her darkened expression started to look less miserable. She looked radiantly with delight at him. "Obviously! In fact, Aunt Susan called me beautiful. The reason you liked me so quickly back then must have been because of my angelic looks!"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Do you even know what the standards of your Mr. Mu's dream lover were?"

"What standards?"

This was the first time she heard him mention something like this. Her twinkling eyes could not help but flicker with some interest as she fixed her gaze on him.

Nonetheless, Mu Yuchen continued to drive leisurely and calmly with a faint smile on his handsome face. He spoke calmly, "She should be about 160 meters in height, reaching right below my chin when we're standing. She should have long, black hair that reaches her waist. Her figure should be moderate with fair skin, starry, bright eyes, likes tomato fried eggs and hot and sour shredded potatoes. When she's angry, she won't speak to me and will roll her eyes at me. When she doesn't get past a game level, she will slam the mouse to pieces, a 34B..."

When he finished, Xiaye immediately compared his description to herself.

About 160 meters in height?

She was a match!

Long, black and beautiful hair that reaches the waist?

She was a match!

A medium figure, fair skin, and starry bright eyes?

She should qualify too!

Tomato fried eggs, hot and sour shredded potatoes?

She definitely fit this one!

...

Lastly, 34B?

Her first reaction was to look down at her own chest, then she frowned and punched him.

"How dare you mess with me!? Aren't you just describing me?"

"Be careful, Missus. You seem to have an inclination of becoming a barbarous wife!"

"I'll show you what domestic abuse is too!"

...

The husband and wife couple bickered all the way to the manor, yet at this moment, the people at the manor were beyond anxious.

Wang Hui, Su Nan and the rest had reached the manor since yesterday. They started to decorate the wedding venue without getting any rest. The wedding dress was directly delivered from France. That morning, Shen Yue and the rest rushed over too.

"Quick, quick, continue calling your brother. Why aren't they back yet? They'll make it back in time for tonight, won't they?" Wang Hui looked down at the busy crowd as she urged Mu Lingshi to call them.

Mu Lingshi shrugged helplessly. "Grandmother, I've called brother an hour ago. They're still on the way back and will only be back at 10 p.m. It's only 8 p.m. now. Just calm down and don't worry too much, okay? Bro and Sis-in-law aren't even worried. You're not the one getting married. Why do you seem more anxious than them?"

"What do you know? How long has it been since the Mu family had a happy occasion? We finally have this! Can't you just act with the times and let me be happy? Is it wrong for me to be worried?" Wang Hui rolled her eyes at Mu Lingshi. "Also with you and Ah Mo, once your bro and your sis-in-law's affairs are done, the next one's going to be you and him. You should work hard for yourself and maybe do something now. When some time has passed, you can just get your certificate. You young people don't care about those things anyway."

"We were talking about my bro and sis-in-law. How did the topic turn to me? How about you just look forward to Bro and Sis-in-law's great grandchild for you?"

As Mu Lingshi spoke, she could not help but feel a headache. Ever since she moved to live with Ah Mo, they had already set their mind on them. In fact, they subtly hinted for her to have a shotgun-wedding. She had never seen a grandmother like this, who was not worried about her being taken advantage of at all. It was as if they were sure Ah Mo was an honest, good person while she, Mu Lingshi, was not reliable at all.

"I want to have some great-grandchildren too. Your grandfather and I are free with nothing to do anyway. One or two children would make the house livelier. We don't ask for much. Why can't you just satisfy us sooner?"

"Forget it. You won't understand what I mean. These things should let nature take its course. There's no use for you to be anxious about it. I'm done here. I'm going to look for Su Nan. She was quite airsick yesterday and Ruan Heng is quite worried. I've been busy, so I didn't get to ask how she is today. I'm not sure if she's feeling better already."

Then, before Wang Hui could answer, she already turned to walk back into the villa, annoying Wang Hui. She wanted to chase after her and lecture her a bit more when Mu Yinan and Shen Yue's voice came from below.

"Do you have any more friends to invite from your end? This time, to go with Ah Chen and Xiaye's request, we've already done our best to make things simple, but we can't be careless either," said Mu Yinan to Shen Yue beside him as they slowly walked towards the villa.

Shen Yue was currently walking towards the villa with his hands clasped behind him. His aged face showed a rare expression of happiness. "We're almost done. You've all worked tirelessly these past few days. After this wedding, it's time I retire. This time, I wanted to use this chance for them to meet more people in the circle. The two of you are much more fortunate than I am. You live such idle days."

"Yours are coming soon too, aren't they? Just leave everything to the couple, and then you can have idle days too. These things are mere worldly possessions anyway. It's not much once you see it indifferently. Anyway, let's not care about how things should be, and let the children work hard themselves. Right, how're Wenna's eyes? What did the doctors say? Is there any way of healing it?"

"The blood clots are gradually dissipating. Perhaps it'll soon be gone completely, but we can't be sure if she'll see again. In fact, we don't how soon it will be, so...," Shen Yue sighed, "Initially, I wanted to bring her with me this time to visit some prestigious hospitals, but she was worried that if anything came up, it would make the children unhappy instead, so she didn't come. You know how Wenna's like."

"Wenna didn't come? Didn't she say..?"

When Mu Yinan previously called Mu Tangchuan and the rest, they said that Shen Wenna would probably come, but now...

If Shen Wenna could not make it, would Xi Mushan be coming instead?

The night breeze was as gentle as water that flowed uninterrupted. The night's stars were bright and splendid as the car drove through the little town underneath the blanket of stars and past the gentle, dim yellow streetlights before it slowly drove into the manor.

The car had just stopped when Ah Mo, who had waited for quite a while, came to greet them and opened the car door.

"Master, Missus..."

Before Ah Mo could finish greeting them, in the driver's seat, Mu Yuchen already reached out to stop him as he slowly got down from the car.

"Master, the two of you are finally back! Grandfather and Grandmother have been anxious."

Ah Mo carefully looked at the front passenger seat. Indeed, he saw Xi Xiaye sleeping soundly against her seat, covered with Mu Yuchen's jacket.

Mu Yuchen nodded. "The scenery was great over there, so we stayed a day or two longer. Is everyone here?"

Ah Mo went up to take the things from the car, softly answering, "Mmm, Master Su and Master Mo are here too. Now, we're only waiting for Mayor Xi and Teacher Shen who aren't here yet."

When he finished, Mu Yuchen's handsome face sank and his brows furrowed. He turned to look at Ah Mo. "Did you try contacting them?"

"I did, but both their phones are switched off. When Elder CEO Shen came over, he said that because of Teacher Shen's eyes, she was worried that the atmosphere of the wedding would be affected, so she didn't come over. After that, I called them, but I couldn't get through," said Ah Mo with a frown.

Mu Yuchen walked slowly to the front passenger seat. "Did you call the Shen residence?"

"I did, but no one picked up."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuchen's handsome brows knotted even more. He fell silent for a moment, then returned to his usual calmness. "I got it. Don't tell your sis-in-law first. Okay, go and rest earlier. Just let them know we're back."

Then, he opened the car door and gently carried Xi Xiaye in. The sudden movement awoken Xi Xiaye and his voice softly whispered by her ear, "Sleep when we get to the room, Xiaye."

Then, he took huge strides towards the residence.

When he reached the room, he settled her on the bed and then did a simple wipe down of her face and hands before tucking her in with a blanket as she continued sleeping. He took a shower before slipping into bed to rest.

He looked forward to the arrival of the next day, but...

Sleepiness engulfed him. Just when he was about to hug her and fall asleep, there was a knock from the outside. He got up in his sleeping gown to open the door and saw Wang Hui and Zhuang Shurong standing outside.

"Grandmother, Mother, why aren't you asleep yet?" Mu Yuchen asked when Wang Hui reached out to pull him outside. He staggered a little and almost fell, just managing to steady himself by holding the wall on the side. He looked puzzledly at Wang Hui.

"What are you doing?" he frowned and asked.

"Sleep with Su Chen and the rest tonight. You're going to be a groom tomorrow, so rest earlier tonight," Wang Hui instructed.

"They're already asleep. Plus, without me around, Xiaye will wake up in the middle of the night."

"Chen Er, be good. Just endure one night. This is tradition anyway. You hope to have a good wedding, don't you? Go. Su Chen and the rest aren't asleep yet. They're still playing cards with Ah Mo, but tonight you'll have to rest earlier since you have to wake up early tomorrow." Zhuang Shurong's voice came with a gentleness that was unlike her usual self.

What did they mean by enduring one night? And tradition? He had already slept with her so many times!

He frowned and turned to peer into the room. The light in his eyes flickered from dark to light.

"Don't worry. Lingshi and Su Nan will come over to accompany her. Just go! When you wake up early tomorrow, don't come over too. You'll have to get up and prepare in a few more hours. Su Chen's at the Will Grand Hotel. Quickly go over. The driver downstairs will send you over directly."

When he heard Wang Hui, Mu Yuchen could not help but hold his forehead, and then sigh helplessly. "Why are there so many rules to follow? We're already married!"

"Enough with the nonsense. Hurry! It's already very late!"

Mu Yuchen then turned to walk into the room. "I'm getting my phone. You guys had better take good care of her."

...

When he returned to the room, Xi Xiaye was half-asleep. She saw him fiddling by the bedside and looked up at him through half-opened eyes. Her voice was a little raspy from the drowsiness. "What are you doing?"

Upon hearing her voice, he turned to her. She propped herself up halfway to look at him with misty, twinkling eyes. He sat down by the bedside and reached out to pat her head. "Tonight, Su Nan and Lingshi are going to be with you. I'm going over to Su Chen's place. We have to wake up early tomorrow, so take care of yourself and rest earlier, hmm?"

"What are you doing?" Now, Xi Xiaye was more awake. She subconsciously reached out to pull his hand and quickly sat up.

"They say it's tradition. We'll see each other tomorrow. Rest well. Be my beautiful bride, alright?"

Then, he lowered his head and planted a kiss on her forehead before he got up and took the phone from the table. "I've already charged your phone. Remember to bring it with you. We'll talk again tomorrow. Rest now."

Xiaye just watched him take his phone, and then his jacket on the side before she nodded with her starry eyes "You rest earlier too then. Is the hotel he's staying at nearby?"

"It's a little far, but don't worry. I'll text you when I reach and I'll get them to prepare something for you to eat. I'm leaving now."

"Mmm..." She lowered her head to answer, yet she did not let go of his hand.

He looked down as well, and then he reached out with his arm to hold her by the shoulders. His soft voice was very tender. "Can't bear to see me go?"

"What do you think?" She went along and circled her arms around his strong waist while peering up at him.

"Let's look forward to tomorrow then."

He finally used a kiss to console the timid girl before he left.

...

At this moment, Su Nan and Mu Lingshi entered the room.