Inside the kitchen, Xi Xiaye was still preparing some soup and some snacks to sober up.

She lowered her gaze and silently watched the small flame flickering on the stove. Her beautiful face was dense with a hint of worry. When she remembered what had happened earlier, she still had lingering fears.

Who could have done it?

She only remembered back then that she seemed to have heard the very light patter of footsteps. The person had not been wearing high heels, but it should have been a woman because she seemed to have heard the sound of long fingernails scraping against the door.

However, it did not seem right if she thought about it again. Would a woman have been able to get a snake into the washroom?

In fact, was that person targeting her?

How could they have been so sure that she would have gone to the washroom?

Could it have been pure coincidence?

Or perhaps that person had been watching her.

If that was the case, then that would be terrifying!

When she thought about this, Xi Xiaye could not help but shudder. At this moment, a pair of strong arms gently hugged her from behind, pulling her into his safe embrace. His deep and sensitive voice held a hint of consolation. "What are you thinking about? Still afraid?"

She fell silent for a while, then she shook her head, "I'm just puzzled, wondering who could have done it."

"Li Si is already investigating this, we'll see then, don't worry, I'm here," he said as his arms around her waist suddenly tightened a little.

Hearing his words, Xi Xiaye paused. Her mind flashed back to the scene when he had quickly pulled her into the protection of his embrace and held back the snake that launched itself at her. She abruptly felt her heart soften as she quickly turned to him and face him. With one hand, she pulled his bandaged hand closer and stared at it for quite a while. Her eyes could not help but turn misty.

"Does it hurt?" She sighed and slowly looked up, quietly meeting his dark eyes that gazed down at her.

Upon hearing this, he smiled. "It's just a small wound and it doesn't hurt much. If you commend me a little or offer some proper consolation, I'll immediately be fine tomorrow." His extraordinarily handsome face flashed with a demonic smile.

She raised her brows. "How do you want me to commend you then? I don't know how to do praises, but I do know this—"

Then, she tiptoed and gently planted a kiss on his cheek.

"That's all?" He narrowed his eyes that were filled with a discontented coldness.

"Hmm?" She smiled faintly.

"Is this too easy?"

"Well... Aah!"

Before she could answer him, he had already turned off the stove with a hand and bent down to carry her up as he walked out.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

"Don't! The b-book says that it's not good for health if w-we do it too often..." she stammered.

"It? Which 'it'?" He looked down at her in amusement as he smiled.

"That 'it'! Why are you acting all innocent? Ugh, annoying!" She rolled her eyes angrily at him.

He smirked. "Can't you think of something else in that head of yours? Do I look like the kind of person who wants unlimited s**? In fact, we haven't done it for two days now, have we?"

"Well, you..."

"Missus, your husband just wants to let you take a shower and rest earlier. You think too much..."

Annoying!

Half an hour later, on the soft and comfortable sofa, Mu Yuchen had already changed out of his tuxedo and slipped into a dark blue sleeping robe as he leisurely brewed some tea while Xi Xiaye kept shooting him glances from the corner of her eye from time to time as if she wanted to say something, yet she kept holding back.

"Why don't you ask me what happened earlier?" She thought he would ask him what had happened. However, unexpectedly, he had not asked a single thing ever since the incident. Instead, he had just ordered Li Si to investigate further into it.

"Why? Do you know who did it?" he asked as he looked at her very calmly.

She shook her head.

"Well, then that's fine. If you recall it, you might scare yourself. Earlier, you broke out in cold sweat all over."

He had a keen eye and he knew that she was afraid too, so he decided to not to mention it instead.

"I was quite scared. I wonder who it was. From what I recall, I haven't offended anyone apart from Xi Xinyi who hates me to the bone... but, Xi Xinyi wasn't invited, was she?"

"Your thought process is simple enough, Missus! Who told you that the person wouldn't have gotten someone else to do these malicious things?" Mu Yuchen objected.

"Do you really think it's her?" Xi Xiaye frowned.

"We don't have any way of guessing who it is right now. Things might not be quite as peaceful in the coming days, so just follow me. Ah Mo will handle Mother's matters over there and rush back soon. When that happens, I'll get him to pick a female bodyguard for you."

Mu Yuchen thought about it for a while, then he added, "To be your special female assistant."

"A female bodyguard? Is there a need for that?"

"Even if you're going to be in Fuhua after this, Grandpa would make the arrangements for you too. It's not a bad thing to be a little more careful."

Xi Xiaye seemed to have noticed that the situation was a little tense.

The banquet dispersed and it was close to midnight at this point.

At the plaza before the entrance of the Imperial Sky Hotel, there was a black luxury sports car.

Qi Lei leisurely lit up a cigarette, taking a drag on it from time to time. His demonically handsome face looked quite surreal amidst the smoke.

He calmly looked at the hotel entrance where Li Si and the rest were in covertly inspecting everyone. When they let the last guest off, Yang Sheng, who had been standing on guard beside him, walked through the darkness toward the car.

"Master Qi!"

Yang Sheng opened the car door and slowly got in. There were anxiety and confusion written on his face.

Qi Lei blew the smoke out and did not even look at Yang Sheng as he asked indifferently, "What happened?"

"Master Qi, I think something happened to Miss Xiaye in the washroom. Earlier, I saw Mu Yuchen rush over. In fact, Su Chen and the rest followed closely after him too. After that, I saw them hurry to leave the hotel. Something seems to have happened. By the looks of Li Si's actions, they seem to be looking for someone!"

Yang Sheng had been quite far away, so he had only heard bits and pieces of the news.

When he said this, Qi Lei's brows slowly furrowed too.

"Something happened? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, Master Qi. I'll seek clarification of the situation from them. Earlier, I did see Xiaye following closely behind Mu Yuchen, so she should be fine."

"Let me know when you've found out."

"Yes, Master Qi! They've all dispersed now. We... Master Qi, look!"

Yang Sheng was about to say something when suddenly a black car slowly rolled out of a parking spot beside them.

"The people in that car seemed to have been watching Li Si and the rest for a long while. Earlier, I was watching from a dark corner for a long time. There are two people in the car who've also been watching the hotel entrance for an entire night!"

When Yang Sheng said this, a light flashed past in Qi Lei's eyes too as he looked contemplatively at the car that slowly drove into the darkness. After a while, he said coldly, "Sit tight!"

"Master Qi, do you want to chase them?" Yang Sheng asked as he buckled up.

Qi Lei did not answer. He started the car and drove towards the direction of the black car.

The car was driving towards the west of the city. After it drove for quite a distance, Qi Lei felt that something was not right. The car ahead quickly picked up speed and he chased it all the way.

"Master Qi, they seemed to have noticed us! Look, we're back here again!" Yang Sheng suddenly pointed out, staring ahead. "Master Qi, be careful! There's a car rushing this way from behind!"

Right at that moment, an SUV suddenly rushed in from behind them. With a whoosh, it dashed past Qi Lei. Accompanied by a sharp whistle, it then cut the front of Qi Lei. His heart sank as he subconsciously turned the steering wheel halfway and quickly evaded it, yet that car drifted around and blocked his way again. Consequently, Qi Lei's vision was blocked as well. In just the blink of an eye, the car had already vanished.

"Master Qi, they're gone!" Yang Sheng looked at the road ahead. The car had already evaded them, and the traffic port was just ahead. They probably could not find them anymore.

Qi Lei's face sank further. He could only drive to the side and park his car as he stared at the empty road ahead. After a while, he slammed a fist onto the steering wheel. "Did you get a good look at the car plate number?"

Yang Sheng nodded. "I did. I'll go get someone to find out who the car owner is right away."

Then, he quickly took his phone out and made a call. The other person on that end picked up very quickly.

"It's me. Run this car plate number for me right away. The number is XXXXXX. Okay, be quick!" Yang Sheng said and hung up.

"Master Qi, we'll get the results tomorrow. It's very late now. Shall we...?" Yang Sheng probed.

Qi Lei fell silent for a while, then he looked up ahead for a long time before he started the car and continued to drive. He turned around at the traffic port, then drove toward the north of the city.

Yang Sheng could vaguely feel that something was not too right either, so he softly asked, "Master Qi, do you think those people were there to target someone?"

"Go back right away and investigate the incident tonight. Let me know once you've found out about anything." Qi Lei was puzzled and uneasy as he was quite curious about what had happened. He seemed to be interested in Xi Xiaye's matters.

"Alright, Master!"

"I asked you to investigate Xi Xinyi and that old man as well as Yue Hai's matter. How's that going?"

Half a month ago, Qi Lei had asked Yang Sheng to investigate Qi Qiming, Xi Xinyi, and Yue Hai once again. Qi Qiming did not seem like the kind of person to do a bad deal. If it were purely because of Yue Hai that he decided to rescue Yueying, this would mean that Xi Xinyi and Yue Hai were quite important!

In fact, from what Qi Lei could observe, Yueying was not worth much. It was a company that was close to bankruptcy, so what good could it do?

What was the old man trying to do?

Qi Qiming had never liked him. Even though his older brother, Qi Feng, had passed away, he never seemed to have changed his mind about Qi Lei. All these years, he had been indifferent to him. No matter how hard Qi Lei tried, there was no way of making Qi Qiming change his mind about him.

Qi Qiming would never praise him. By name, he was the Second Master of the Qi family, but to Qi Qiming, he was probably no more than a subordinate.

Qi Qiming and Wang Qin had a classic marriage between two rich and powerful families. Both of them had someone else they loved before getting married, yet because of their interests, they tied the knot. After they got married, Qi Qiming and Wang Qin did not have a stable relationship, especially after his elder brother, Qi Feng joined the family. The whole family's conflict thoroughly exploded.

Wang Qin was capable and firm. In fact, she was vicious in her methods. After Qi Feng joined the Qi family, she had never been nice to him. Even though she did not scold and beat him like a stereotypical stepmother, she was still a cut above others and she treated Qi Feng like air.

However, Qi Feng had been smart and sensible since he was young. Talented, he learned everything very quickly, and it would not be an exaggeration to call him a prodigy. In fact, he was handsome and dashing, so everyone liked him. On the other hand, even though Qi Lei was born from a prestigious family, he was naughty and mischievous, thus he was not liked.

However, Qi Lei was used to it. That was just how he was like. He was confident and did as he pleased. He would never pander to anyone.

"Master Qi, the detective agency is still investigating. We should have the results quite soon," Yang Sheng answered.

"How's my mother?"

Qi Lei's relationship with his mother, Wang Qin, was quite tense. Albeit knowing that Wang Qin had his best interests at heart, she was also competitive and ambitious, so she was hell-bent on controlling Qi Kai to hand over to Qi Lei.

"VP Wang went to City B for two days. Director Lee and Glory World's newly developed Movie City seems to be quite interesting. She's gone to discuss business, and at the same time, she planned to take a look."

City B, huh?

When Qi Lei heard this, a coldness flashed in his eyes.

"Right, Master Qi, VP Wang wants you to watch over Miss Xian Er..."

"Make that woman leave. Tell her to get lost if she wants to have a little bit of dignity left! Otherwise, don't blame me for being mean! She's just another pretentious woman. What right does she have to have a piece of me?" Qi Lei sneered with disdain, then he suddenly sped up.

Yang Sheng chose his words carefully, and he finally said, "Master Qi, actually, Miss Xian Er was once good friends with Miss Sha Sha... After Miss Sha Sha passed away, she went abroad and has only returned quite recently."

"Sha Sha's good friend? Isn't that Xian Er from City C or something?" Qi Lei looked puzzledly at Yang Sheng.

"Their company is in City B. This time, VP Wang went with Miss Xian Er, yet Miss Xian Er said that she was going for a social event with some friends, so she was delayed."

Wang Qin had always liked Miss Xian Er, but Qi Lei never paid any attention to her.

When he heard this, Qi Lei's eyes began to shift. Although he looked calm, you could not tell how he felt. Out of the blue, his demonic face flashed with a very ambiguous sneer.

After a while, Qi Lei suddenly asked softly, "Is she still in City Z right now?"

Chapter 479: Gu Lingsha Is Still Alive? (2)

Yang Sheng nodded. "Yes, Master Qi! VP Wang should be back in City Z in two days. She'd need to wait for VP Wang to return anyway."

Qi Lei closed his eyes as his smile grew wider. He did not say anything else and instead stepped on the accelerator and sped up!

Yang Sheng went upstairs to get some documents.

"Master Qi, it's the weekend tomorrow. Do you want to return to the Qi Residence for a visit? CEO Qi invited some friends over, and Yue Hai and some others will be attending."

"I don't care who's going! I'm going to rest this weekend. Don't bother me."

Qi Lei tossed the document folder to Yang Sheng. "Ask VP Wang to sign this as soon as possible. I'll send someone to collect it on Monday. I'll continue to handle the South River project. There's no need to change, so you can go back now."

"Yes, Master Qi!" Yang Sheng then left with the folder.

Qi Lei glanced at the door when he heard it close. He sat down on the sofa beside the table as the faint light in his eyes turned cold slowly.

...

Dawn came. As the light of sunrise crept through the half-opened curtains, Mu Yuchen woke up. His first reaction was to hug the woman beside him, and he was shocked to find her absent!

He quickly sat up in the next moment, the blurriness in the eyes fading away as he became calm as usual. After a while, he got out of bed and grabbed some clothes before heading into the bathroom.

After he washed up, he went downstairs and saw the tiny woman being busy in the living room. He halted his steps and just watched her from above.

Xi Xiaye was sitting on the sofa with a big bouquet of champagne rose before her as well as several nameless purple flowers. She was arranging the flowers at the moment while breakfast was already laid out on the dining table.

She was really focused on arranging the flowers in the vase.

He actually realized she was very fond of flowers. Maybe it was the same for every woman. Having some flowers at home did make the house seem a little livelier.

He just stood there and watched her for a while. She swiftly arranged the flowers and then placed the vase in its corner before starting to clean up. Suddenly, soothing music reached her ears. Xi Xiaye raised her head and noticed that he was squatting beside the coffee table as he flipped through the newspapers that had just been delivered this morning.

She narrowed her eyes before walking towards him. She sat down beside him and took out the first-aid kit. "How come you never make a sound?"

"I'll change the medication on your wound." She opened the kit as she grabbed his arm.

"Hmm? I'm alright. It's just a small wound."

"Here, antiseptic. It'll get better soon. Su Chen seems to be quite experienced. If it weren't for him, you might have needed to be hospitalized." She handled his wound as she spoke.

He laughed. "Of course, all three of us were trained in the wilderness. It was common during our training period. We have to keep calm during these situations. Only then will you come up with a plan."

"I'm very afraid of snakes... so..." Xi Xiaye was still traumatized by what had happened. It was pretty common for girls to be afraid of creatures like these.

"There's no way there would be snakes in the hotel unless someone brought it in."

"Li Si is already investigating it. We'll probably have the results later..."

Before Mu Yuchen could finish his sentence, the doorbell rang. He raised his brows and glanced over at Xi Xiaye before taking the cotton bud away. "It should be Li Si. Go and get the door."

Xi Xiaye stood up and went to the door. As expected, the screen showed Li Si and the others waiting outside, so she then pressed on the button to open the door.

Li Si came in swiftly.

"Good morning, Master, Missus!" he greeted politely as he reached the living room.

"Morning!" Xi Xiaye replied as she packed up the first-aid kit.

"Master!" Li Si went to Mu Yuchen.

"How did the investigation go?" Mu Yuchen adjusted his sleeves while looking at Li Si.

Li Si bowed slightly and handed a document to Mu Yuchen. "I've checked the security camera footages, but the cameras were damaged right before the incident, so we got nothing out of it. I conducted investigations as per your orders but didn't get anything particularly notable as well. However, we did notice something odd when looking through the security camera footages near the entrance."

Mu Yuchen frowned when he heard Li Si. He opened the document and started flipping through it as Li Si continued.

"According to the footages near the entrance, we noticed there were people inside a car parked in the car park right in front of the entrance. They were staring at the hotel entrance the whole night. Afterward, Qi Lei noticed them and followed them. I'm afraid to cause unnecessary attention, so I didn't go along. Master, do you think Qi Lei did it? He seems to have unkind intentions. It might be him," Li Si analyzed.