Ji Zitong was not the kind of girl that smiled a lot, so she looked quite calm and aloof.

When Xi Xiaye looked into her eyes, she did not know why, but she felt like she was suppressing something. She felt as if something seemed to be on this girl's mind.

She would always be courteous and distant from anyone. Besides that, she was agile, and she heard that she was quite good at driving too.

"Good morning." Xi Xiaye nodded and smiled.

"Master, Missus!"

"Let's get going," Mu Yuchen calmly said. Then, the black-clothed bodyguards opened the door.

Ji Zitong drove Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye.

All the way, she remained of few words and focused on driving. She was very professional like the rest of the black-clothed bodyguards.

Sis Lan stayed in the suburbs of the west of the city, so they needed to pass through a bustling city. After taking the quicker route, as the car drove slowly on the road, Xi Xiaye seized the opportunity to buy several newspapers. The headlines of the major papers did not seem to have those reports, but certain magazines still had them.

"You had them remove the reports, didn't you?"

Xi Xiaye's expression had a mix of emotions as she closed the magazines in her hand. She turned to look at Mu Yuchen. "Do you know who did it?"

She felt like many things had been repeatedly troubling them. Every one of them was weird, and now that such a thing had happened, even if he did not care, it would have more or less brought about negative effects.

Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that Mu Yinan had called from the Mu residence yesterday. At that time, he had intentionally distracted her away then. It must have been because of this matter.

The man, who was on his laptop, finally looked up slowly. His extraordinarily handsome face looked somewhat cold under the faint blue light and his tone was low as he said, "It's not targeting you. Grandpa has helped too. Previously, because I didn't want you to worry, I planned to only let you know when we've got everything under control. Nevertheless, since you can be more optimistic about it, that's a good thing too."

"Grandpa..." Xi Xiaye softly muttered.

Now, Xi Xiaye began to be more concerned as she asked uneasily, "Then, with Grandfather and Grandmother... Will it cause Father and Mother trouble?"

"Father and Mother are very open-minded people. They'll believe you. Don't worry."

"Then, when I said that I'll clarify about this with Qi Lei, you said..."

"Sometimes, it will only make matters worse. You just don't know how to keep still, do you? Now, do you know why I didn't want to tell you earlier?" An elegant smile curved on his face as he met her gaze. As if he suddenly remembered something, his gaze darkened and he said softly, "This matter isn't all that simple. We might have gotten ourselves another enemy, and the person doing this probably expected this too. However, that person's IQ and EQ got left at kindergarten."

When she heard this, she was stunned. Noticing the gloom in his eyes, she thought about it and decided not to keep asking.

...

With such a huge scandal, naturally, Xi Xiaye was not the only one under pressure. Qi Lei was struggling amidst all this too.

Inside the office of the Vice President of Qi Kai Corporation.

"Xiao Lei! What a mess you've made!? Explain what all this is about!"

When Qi Lei was arranging the documents, Wang Qin, who had just returned from work abroad, anxiously crashed into his office and questioned him head-on.

"All the reporters downstairs are waiting for you. You can provoke anyone, but why does it have to be that Xi Xiaye? That's Mu Yuchen's woman from the Mu family, don't you know that? At such a crucial moment, you caused this mess. Do you really want me to be worried to death?"

Wang Qin was extremely concerned. She had been wholeheartedly trying to bring Qi Lei up and get the trust of the shareholders. That way, they could get some of their support, yet now with such a mess, it had destroyed all her previous hard work overnight!

Qi Lei did not respond. He just let Wang Qin vent with a faint light in his eyes that was unfathomable.

"Say something! What are you planning on doing now? You should know that once this thing goes on, it will affect you terribly. Do you really have something going on with that Xi Xiaye?" Wang Qin fixed her gaze on Qi Lei, not wanting to miss any reaction of his.

At this moment, Qi Lei just smiled. "I wish I had something going on with her. Isn't she quite good? If I could really get her to be your daughter-in-law, that would be great for everyone too. I can't do this, I can't do that. Sigh, VP Wang, you make things quite difficult for me!"

"Xiao Lei! I'm being serious here. Do you have to speak like that to me?"

Wang Qin's brows furrowed into a tight knot and there was a hint of coldness on her face. "I suspect that this thing might be Qi Qiming's work. That bastard, he'd even frame his own son! What's he trying to do? Why is the other woman's son so precious to him while I..."

"Enough, if you really want to debate about these things, go tell the old man. Also, tell him that if he really wants to make a move, he might as well just kill me. Don't keep doing it bit by bit. I'm tired of dealing with them. He should spend more effort arranging his plans."

Qi Lei's handsome face flashed with a sneer, yet the light in his eyes seemed bleak.

"Don't say such things, Xiao Lei! As long as I'm here, I won't let Qi Qiming treat you unfairly."

When Wang Qin heard Qi Lei's words, she could not help but feel her heart ache. She could not bear to hear it, so she then softened her tone. "Xiao Lei, don't give up. Everyone will see the good in you. It's I who haven't done well as your mother, so..."

"Enough, stop talking. I don't like to hear all these regretful words. Just leave them for yourself to hear," Qi Lei interrupted a little impatiently.

"Don't sass me, Xiao Lei. I know that I haven't done well as a mother all these years, but you have to believe me, everything that I've done, I do it all for you. If you weren't my son, I wouldn't be so concerned. Do you understand?"

"I do, I do very well! I'm your biological son, so I'm very honored to be at the receiving end of your concern. Since you have so many ideas, why don't you think about how to persuade for the old man to quickly give up his spot and let me have Qi Kai, or find a way to chase off the flies downstairs? Can you do that, my dear mother?"

Qi Lei was bothered and annoyed!

"Actually, you shouldn't have given birth to me back then. At least, now you wouldn't have to be so worried. Not all women can lock a man with a child down. Mother, you miscalculated! If you really can't go on, just get a divorce soon. You could still have a memorable second offspring!"

"Shut up!"

With Wang Qin's abrupt shout, the noise in the office instantly halted and a stiff coldness appeared in the air.

The mother and son stared at each other just like that.

Wang Qin's eyes were filled with anger and disappointment which she endured, yet Qi Lei just sneered. The light in his dark eyes was cold as the autumn waters.

After a while, he averted his gaze and apathetically looked down at the document in his hand. "You know that I'm just telling the truth. If you divorce him, you might even get something from him, and with what you have, you can definitely come out whole. Don't wait until the end when you're just there paving the way for someone else. The old man is cold and heartless. You have always known this. If he's even this stingy to a woman, he's not that great a person."

Qi Lei's calm voice was heard, yet it brought a vague feeling of pain. Wang Qin could actually hear a hint of dullness and stillness from his words.

Her expression was a mix of emotions as she sighed deeply and held back the surging emotions in her heart. After she eased off for a while, she stared at Qi Lei. "My son, I just... I just worry about you. Do you understand? You are Qi Qiming's rightful son, and I, Wang Qin, gave birth to you. You should be enjoying exceptional advantages and be doted on endlessly. You should be the one enjoying the love of everyone, but for the sake of Qi Qifeng, Qi Qiming could be so heartless. This makes me extremely disappointed and sad!"

Wang Qin's tone could not help but start to turn solemn as her fingers that held onto the side of Qi Lei's desk began to turn pale. You could tell that she was trying her hardest to control her emotions too.

"You know that the marriage between Qi Qiming and I had nothing to do with feelings. Long before I married Qi Qiming, I already knew that I, Wang Qin, would have no options in this lifetime. Qi Qiming pressures me in all aspects. He can even be this cold to his own son, yet he offers extreme care for that illegitimate son, Qi Feng. How can I stomach this? I can disregard how he has been treating me, but, Xiao Lei, I'm only fighting for what you deserve! I've never lost to anyone before. I hope that as my son, you can do this too. You have to understand that life is like a battlefield. Only the victors have a right to speak!" Wang Qin spoke sincerely and earnestly, even though her elegant face seemed somewhat grave, her gaze had softened.

She stared at Qi Lei for a moment, then she could not help but continue again, "Now, I've received news that Qi Feng might not be dead. All these years, he has been hidden by Qi Qiming. He must be trying to evade us. While I thought that Qi Feng was dead all these years, I put my guard against Qi Qiming down. Now, all of the company's shareholders are on his side. If this continues, you should know what the outcome will be in the next shareholder meeting. Qi Qiming is despicable and cruel. I'm sure you know this better than I do."

Wang Qin could not help but sigh again. She glanced at Qi Lei with a difficult gaze before she finally turned away abruptly. "If you must be like this, I can't force you either. I just hope that you can understand that all that I do today isn't for me. If you aren't willing, then I've got nothing to say, but I'll continue to work hard for it. If you don't want it, then I'll destroy it!"

When she finished, Wang Qin left the office in huge strides. Her resounding footsteps sounded heavy, yet as he watched her current figure, she seemed a little too upright.

Qi Lei silently looked up from the documents and watched as Wang Qin gradually vanish out of the door. His handsome face unexpectedly started to shift. He pondered for a while, yet his gaze darkened. After a long while, he sighed and quietly shut his eyes before he leaned back against his chair exhaustedly.

Why must it be like this?

Was there meaning to such struggle?

Even if they got Qi Kai, what would that do?

Could he make Qi Qiming and Wang Qin, this couple who had been fighting openly and maneuvering covertly for half their lives, to coexist peacefully?

Could it allow Qi Lei to obtain his love?

Could it allow him to have happiness or joy?

The answer was—

It could not!

Since it could not, then even if he had Qi Kai, what was the point?

When Qi Lei thought this, he sighed. His handsome brows furrowed and he opened up his tightly shut eyes. Suddenly, his chest felt heavy. He could not help but pull the drawer on the side open as he took a cigarette box and lit a stick up. When he put the box back, he saw that in one corner of the drawer was that familiar drawing book.

Those little pigs with all sorts of expressions...

Qi Lei hesitated for a moment before he quietly took it out. Through the faintly surfacing smoke, he casually flipped through it.

She really had the time to draw such cute things...

When she drew these little things, she must have felt...

As Qi Lei thought about it, the image of Mu Yuchen crashing into his villa and taking her away suddenly flashed in his mind. Before he left, he had even thanked him.

When did Mu Yuchen learn how to say such things?

In fact, it was for a woman.

After that, he even said that Shasha might be returning.

The light in Qi Lei's gaze shifted from dark to light. In that instance, you could not quite tell how he felt.

It was not sure how long had passed before he got up and walked to the sofa. He took the newspaper that was tossed onto the sofa and walked to the window as he flipped through it and studied the pictures in them.

He stood on the very top floor. Although he could not see the huge group of reporters that gathered around the entrance of the Qi Kai building, he believed that perhaps at Glory World Corporation, it was probably the same.

Rich and Powerful Lady Has An Affair, Qi Kai's Young Master Gets A Share of the Action?

Affair Exposè?

Unwilling To Remain Lonely?

All sorts of speculations emerged. One after another, each headline was more ridiculous than the ones before!

Qi Lei already knew about this news yesterday. However, he did not clarify anything. Instead, it was Yang Sheng who kept helping him deal with those keen reporters. He was even planning to hold a press conference, but he was stopped.

Of course, like Mu Yuchen, he had taken the effort to take down all the negative news. As a result, many of today's newspapers no longer published the discussion of the news anymore.

Even so, it did not really seem to completely deal with the media.

He let out a puff of smoke, then closed the newspaper in his hand. After some thought about it, he then finally turned to walk back to his desk. He tossed the newspaper aside, and then picked up his phone to make a call.

The car zipped past swiftly on the quiet road. Soon, Ji Zitong gradually slowed down and then parked the car outside a house according to the address given.

The other cars from the back caught up when the car came to a halt.

Ji Zitong turned back to announce, "Chairman Mu, Director Xi, we've arrived!"

Xi Xiaye closed the magazine she was reading and glanced at the man beside her. He was still working on his laptop and did not seem to be wrapping up anytime soon.

As Xi Xiaye was about to say something, he told her, "Sis Lan doesn't like too many unfamiliar faces. I'll just wait for you outside. Go in with Zitong. If anything happens, just yell and we'll be able to hear from outside."

He then glimpsed toward the decrepit house.

Xi Xiaye nodded quietly.

Mu Yuchen opened the door for her and reminded her, "Leave if it's not working. It's not entirely impossible without her."

Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong had looked for Sis Lan as well, but she was not very friendly and was, in fact, pretty cold towards them. In their case, she did not want to reveal much.

"It's okay, I've got this."

She gave him an assuring look before getting out of the car.

It looked like a pretty old house. The front gate was rusty, and the pair of couplet had already lost its original color a long time ago. Vines grew on the walls and covered it in a green pallor, but the front yard was quite clean. Xi Xiaye walked over and heard someone talking inside. Suddenly, someone came over with a bucket of paint and started painting the rusty gate.

"Let's go."

Xi Xiaye was relieved to see someone.

She's home!

She then went inside.

When she asked, the painter informed her that Sis Lan was in the house, so Xi Xiaye and Ji Zitong went in.

It was not a big house as it was just a two-story building.

Ji Zitong rang the doorbell as they arrived at the door. A middle-aged lady opened the door, appearing to be a servant or caretaker. She shot them a doubtful glance before asking them in heavy rural slang, "Hello, you two fellas are...?"

As Ji Zitong was about to reply, Xi Xiaye went up and introduced herself. "Hello. We're looking for Sis Lan. Sis Li must have informed her about it beforehand."

The lady allowed them in after Xi Xiaye's explanation.

"Sis Lan is waiting in the study room. Please follow me!"

...

At the door into the study room, Ji Zitong stayed outside while Xi Xiaye went in alone.

Xi Xiaye was finally meeting the legendary Sis Lan.

She wore a light-colored qipao with her hair twisted into a bun. With her skinny frame and sharp chin, she was a beauty in her own league. However, her face seemed to take on the paleness an ill person would have.

She was watering her plants when Xi Xiaye entered the room. When she heard footsteps, she looked up with sharp eyes. Even though she tried to hide her expression, Xi Xiaye captured it all.

She glanced over at her cautiously. Xi Xiaye just kept quiet and just let her study her.

"It's my honor to meet you, Sis Lan. I'm Xi Xiaye." She greeted humbly.

Sis Lan continued watering the plants as she replied in a cold and distant tone, "Xiao Li told me about you. What's the matter? I've retired as a manager. If you're involving me in something like that, I'm afraid I can't help much."

She was straightforward at declining and had a decisive attitude. It was no wonder she could be one of the top managers in the industry.

Xi Xiaye nodded. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm not here for business today. I'm here to ask you about something personal."

Sis Lan suddenly raised her head, shooting Xi Xiaye a hard stare. "A personal matter? I don't think I've known you before this. What personal matters are there to talk about?"

Xi Xiaye took a deep breath before taking out a yellow photo and presenting it before Sis Lan.

"You don't seem much different than you were 20 years ago. I heard that the woman in the photo, Mu Zi, is your best friend. I'm here to see you today because she's my aunt," Xi Xiaye clarified her intention of visiting clearly.

Sis Lan glanced at her before taking a look at the photo in her hand. When she saw the people in the photo, a faint light flashed in her eyes quickly. She was stunned for a brief moment.

Xi Xiaye waited until Sis Lan gradually recovered from her shock.

After some time, she put the watering can down and took the photo with a lowered head. She then turned the photo around and read the few lines of words, "At times you look at me, at times you look at the clouds, I feel that it's far away when you look at me, and it's nearer when you look at the clouds..."

Her eyes darkened when she read it out loud.

"Where did you get this photo?" She raised her head and looked at Xi Xiaye before pointing towards the sofa nearby. "Have a seat."

Xi Xiaye saw the complication in her eyes. She gave her a nod before sitting down.

"I found it in a book when I was cleaning up my room," Xi Xiaye replied honestly.

"It's as if I saw a younger version of me," Sis Lan expressed her nostalgia.

"I found out from Sis Li that the person beside Aunty is you, and you were Aunty's manager back then, so I'm sure you're familiar with her life."

Sis Lan instantly understood Xi Xiaye's aim of going there. Her expression changed slightly as she set the photo right before Xi Xiaye. "Are you here to ask me about Mu Zi?"