As her grip on Yue Lingsi's wrist tightened, Yue Lingsi could not stop screaming, "Xi Xiaye, how dare you do this to me? I'm going to make you pay!"

Yue Lingsi howled at her before trying to charge again, but as she tried to move forward, someone grabbed her by the collar from the back and lifted her up before she could react. Then, she was dropped onto the floor, causing her great pain.

The bodyguards!

Her scream spread throughout the corridor.

...

"Are you alright?"

He rushed back anxiously as he studied Xi Xiaye who frowned when she felt the pain on her shoulder, but she shook her head. "I'm fine."

However, he noticed her painful expression. When he looked over at her shoulder and lifted her shirt slightly, he saw the fingernail marks!

He was only gone for a few minutes and this happened!

His expression darkened as he threw Yue Lingsi a cold glare. He then gave Li Si a signal, but when Li Si was about to give instructions to the bodyguards, Xi Xiaye stopped him.

"It's not a big deal. Don't cause a big ruckus in the hospital," she whispered to him, sounding worried. "Bring me to clean my wounds first."

"She dared to hurt you right here. She's tired of living!" Mu Yuchen's tone was chilly cold as he shielded her in his arms.

"There are a lot of opportunities in the future. Li Si, you guys can wait at the car."

Li Si turned to Mu Yuchen hesitantly while the bodyguards let go of Yue Lingsi after Mu Yuchen nodded.

"Don't you dare go away! Do you think you can just leave after hitting me?! Everyone, come and take a look, they—"

Xi Xiaye held Mu Yuchen back as she told Li Si, "Take her to the police!"

"Yes, Director Xi!"

Yue Lingsi was finally brought away.

Inside the examination room, the doctor was applying some antiseptic onto Xi Xiaye's wound while Mu Yuchen sat beside her. When he saw her face getting pale, he wrapped his arm around her waist, and the two of them cooperatively remained silent.

He almost wanted to lift her up in her arms after the doctor was done cleaning her wound, but she insisted, "I'm alright. I can walk."

He did not say anything and still insisted on lifting her up as he walked out of the room.

"I'm not going to let this go. She's going to pay for this!" Mu Yuchen held her in his arms as he walked through the empty corridor. With a lowered head, he contemplated her as he spoke coldly, "That woman won't just leave it like this. We should take action and eliminate her first to avoid further worries."

Xi Xinyi had been quiet ever since that incident, but now Yue Lingsi was looking for trouble.

Xi Xiaye did not say anything. She did not agree or disagree to it. Instead, she was struggling to get down, but he held her tighter. In the end, she gave up and just buried her face in his chest instead.

"As expected, she's trying to get the inheritance from Deng Wenwen. She probably wanted to use them to clear her gambling debts. She's also trying to track down my parents. I'm really alright. Don't worry. I'm not as weak as you think. Just put me down."

"You sound relaxed. That woman is mad! You should've avoided her."

The two of them hastened their steps and they arrived at the car swiftly. Mu Yuchen told the chauffeur to head back to Maple Residence.

"Didn't you say they were waiting at the club?" Xi Xiaye frowned.

"I'll send you back first. You must be in shock. You don't have to join us."

"But..."

"No buts," he interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

He made her rest after they got back to Maple Residence. She wanted to ask her about Deng Wenwen's condition, but he received a phone call after he settled her down and then left afterward.

Xi Xiaye knew very well that he was still angry...

In the evening, Wang Hui came over and delivered some tonic. She felt that it was odd to see Xi Xiaye sitting in the living room watching TV alone.

Wang Hui prepared a fruit platter for Xi Xiaye as she asked, "Where did Ah Chen go? Did he leave you alone at home?"

"Oh, he went out with Su Chen and the others, but he'll be back soon. Don't worry about it."

"So, he left you at home and went out with his friends? What was he thinking?" Wang Hui frowned, but Xi Xiaye just smiled. "It's fine. They usually drink when they gather anyway, so it's not really suitable for me to join them."

"Let him be then. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make dinner for you. Actually, I'm pretty worried that it'll get harder for you to move around in the future. Your body is weak, and Ah Chen doesn't really know how to take care of people. I'm thinking that you should move back to the Mu Residence in a month or two, then you can focus on your baby. It's better with me and your grandfather around to help," Wang Hui said as she picked the magazines lying on the sofa up.

Xi Xinyi took a deep breath and said gently, "You don't have to worry about me. I'm still fine at the moment. He has a lot of work piled up these few days. I'll also try to get some work done while I can. I'll probably get sick if I always stay at home."

"Okay, I know I can't convince you, but it's okay if you don't want to move back. I'll move over then when it's time. By the way, I overheard Li Si's phone call with your grandfather just now. He said Deng Wenwen's condition is pretty bad and you guys went to visit her. What happened?"

It was pretty difficult to hide things from Wang Hui.

Xi Xiaye nodded and explained, "Last night, we received Father's phone call at the Shen residence. He said there was an emergency at the rehabilitation center, so Mu Yuchen sent Li Si over immediately. Her surgery was only completed this morning, and she's still in a critical phase right now. We planned to go out somewhere today, but we received Li Si's call, so we went straight to the rehabilitation center."

When Xi Xiaye said this, Wang Hui instantly frowned too.

She knew about the grudges between Deng Wenwen, Xi Mushan, and Shen Wenna. Even though she had always been unwilling to interfere much, she still felt outraged over the injustice towards Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye.

She had never been in contact with Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi, but she heard that they were quite reputable in the entertainment industry. Nonetheless, as capable as a woman was, Wang Hui had seen it all, and she did not necessarily favor them.

"You two will have tons to worry with this issue. Okay, let's not talk about it anymore. I'll brew some soup for you in the kitchen. Your mother's coincidentally rushed over to do some inspection work. Later on, she'll come over for dinner, and then go home with me."

Wang Hui sighed, not wanting to talk about unhappy things anymore, so she just stood up.

"Is Mother coming over? Let me be your assistant then."

"Mmm, but she might be a little late. Just sit. It's enough with Sis Wang helping me. You haven't tried my dishes in a while, have you?"

"I'll cook sweet and sour fish then since Sis Wang has bought the ingredients."

"Okay, I'll call her right now. Tell her to buy more ingredients. See if Ah Chen can come back for dinner."

...

After a while, Sis Wang bought the ingredients back home and started to get busy in the kitchen with Wang Hui.

It was getting gradually dark. Soon, the entire sky was engulfed in darkness, and the streetlights in the yard lit up.

When Zhuang Shurong came over, it was close to 8 p.m. at night. Wang Hui was still busy in the kitchen while Xi Xiaye was flipping through documents.

"Yesterday, your father told me that you and Ah Chen seem to be moving about and that you found Sis Lan. Do you have any leads now?"

Zhuang Shurong would occasionally ask about this. Even though Wang Hui did say that she did not allow them to continue to be involved in the matter, Zhuang Shurong would understand Mu Lingshi. Despite she and Mu Tangchuan being closer to her, they still were not her biological parents. If she could have understood this earlier and mentally prepared the children earlier, they wouldn't have...

Xi Xiaye obviously could hear the unnatural tone in Zhuang Shurong's voice. She seemed to sound a little sad and was not quite the same as her usual serious manner. However, the way she was at the moment made Xi Xiaye feel an unnamed closeness.

"Mmm, we did find Sis Lan. Earlier, we heard that she was hospitalized. According to the doctor, she doesn't have much time left. Initially, I wanted to look for her again, but Mu Yuchen went there himself. I'm not sure what happened after that either. I feel like Sis Lan should know more about what happened years ago, but she's not willing to say anything. When I went looking for her the last time, I couldn't get anything useful out of her. She just said some things about Aunty's past."

When Xi Xiaye finished, Zhuang Shurong nodded. "Lu Xinlan is like that. Years ago, when I went looking for her, I played both the hard and the soft card, but she didn't reveal any valuable leads either. After that, because of your grandparents, we left things unsettled. Now that I think about it, it was really... All these years, I know that Lingshi has never given up on the search just like how Lingtian was all those years ago, but because he was worried that your grandparents would know, he did it in secret. All those years I was abroad, my hands were tied, and now that I'm back, he's..."

Xi Xiaye suddenly did not know what to say, so she just called out softly to her, "Mother..."

"Actually, I hoped that they could find them too. I feel that your aunt wanted to reveal these things before she passed away. Unfortunately, she was already very emotionally affected then. Sometimes, she would even be beside herself. Tragically, before she could find herself again, she used that extreme way to end her life. It was a great pity and it broke everyone's hearts. It's been so many years. This tragedy continues to be buried, but we still haven't found that man. Do you really think he doesn't know about your aunt, Lingtian, and Lingshi?"

Zhuang Shurong sighed with a heavy expression. "Of course, that person knows. He's just been hiding and unwilling to reveal himself. Your aunt isn't one of those naive and romantic girls either. The family arranged many young and accomplished men for her to meet, yet she didn't fancy any of them, so I'm sure that man must be someone notable."

"It wasn't our intentions for the previous generation to leave all these things for you two to be worried about. Sometimes, I was even a little unhappy. Do you know what kind of life Ah Chen led before you married him? Even though the Mu family is a prestigious family, we don't live as happily as other normal families."

Xi Xiaye always felt like Zhuang Shurong's words implied something else. She mentioned a bunch of random things that puzzled her. Although she wanted to ask something, she did not know where to begin.

From her impression of her, Zhuang Shurong mostly maintained her serious and elegant image. Even at home, she was still the same, yet today she had moved away from that facade and shared these things with her. What did she mean by it?

Zhuang Shurong seemed to read Xi Xiaye's confusion, so she smiled. "I'm not trying to imply anything. I just wanted to tell you that I'm quite happy with you. I'm very happy that you became a part of the Mu family, and became Ah Chen's wife, but there's one thing I wanted to raise to you. I wonder if Ah Chen told you about it."

"Please explain, Mother." Xi Xiaye felt that something was odd and her body tensed slightly as she looked calmly at Zhuang Shurong.

Zhuang Shurong nodded gently instead. "Okay, before I tell you, I have to assure you that I, Zhuang Shurong, only recognize you as my daughter-in-law. I'm very happy with you. You got that?"

"Thanks, Mother, I know."

"Mmm, good then. I'll keep it short. Did Ah Chen mention his past to you before?" Zhuang Shurong asked.

As Xi Xiaye listened, she nodded. "Mmm, he tells me a little sometimes."

"Well, did he ever mention to you that he had a fiancè before?" As Zhuang Shurong probed, her eyes were fixated on Xi Xiaye.

Xi Xiaye smiled, and spoke softly, "Mother, do you mean Gu Lingsha?"

"You know about Gu Lingsha?"

Xi Xiaye's words stunned her. "You actually know about Gu Lingsha too?" It looked like her son was really quite meticulous with Xi Xiaye, so much so that he even settled this properly.

Xi Xiaye nodded gently. "He told me that he and Gu Lingsha had an arranged betrothal at a young age, but he only found out afterwards."

When Zhuang Shurong heard that, she nodded and heaved a sigh of relief. Her tone contained indistinct feelings of having gone through a lot. "Yes, there is such a thing. Actually, today I've especially come over today to tell you that it was your father's wishes."

As Zhuang Shurong spoke, she suddenly gazed quietly at Xi Xiaye, her gaze holding depth.

"Just to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, I know that you hired someone to investigate the Qi family and the incident five years ago."

"Mother, I..."

Xi Xiaye's suddenly felt like something gripped her chest, and she felt upset for no reason. Quietly, she looked at Zhuang Shurong.

Zhuang Shurong just sighed, and said calmly, "Don't worry. I'm not here to reprimand you. I understand very well how Ah Chen is like. He probably didn't want to mention this past to you. Besides, those are wounds that I hope you won't open up. He barely made it to today, and I feel he's much better now."

"I'm sorry, Mother... I admit that I did get someone to investigate, but I wouldn't hurt him. I just saw that he was suffering quite badly, so I wanted to share his load, yet I didn't know where to begin. At the same time, I wanted to see if the Qi family was up to anything, so..."

"Mmm, I know what you were thinking. If I were you, I'd probably do the same. That's why I planned to tell you something. Five years ago, the Mu family and the Gu family from City B were pretty good family friends. Elder Gu, Gu Kang, is the current CEO of the Hui Gu Corporation. He is also Gu Qihao's grandfather who was friends with your grandfather. Despite their difference in age, they were close buddies. By the time it was your grandfather's generation, your grandfather and the Gu family's late Elder were considered good buddies too. The Mus and the Gus have always been on excellent terms. In business, we also complement each other. The two families wanting to be connected by marriage wasn't a matter decided in a day or two."

As Xi Xiaye listened, she bent over to pour Zhuang Shurong a glass of water. Zhuang Shurong took a sip and then continued, "After that, on a certain day when your grandfather and the Gu family's elder were drunk, he told him that if the Gu family had a little girl, they would just make her Ah Chen's fianceè. At that time, Ah Chen was only a few years old, so he didn't know anything yet. After all, they were just drunk words. Unexpectedly, the Gu family remembered the vow. Since they were young, they were insistent that Gu Lingsha was Ah Chen's fianceè. I was strongly against it back then and even made things sour between your grandfather and I. Nevertheless, for Ah Chen, even if things go bad, I would have to accept it. I can't let my son go into such an arranged marriage. He should have the right to choose the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with."

She had always known that Zhuang Shurong was an extremely firm person. Now, by the looks of it, actually as a mother, she was really democratic and very wise. Her tone contained her protectiveness for Mu Yuchen.

"Mother, thank you." When she heard this, Xi Xiaye suddenly felt rather lucky.

"Initially, Gu Lingsha wasn't too bad. She's quite an outstanding girl, but..." Zhuang Shurong paused and held the glass in her hand tightly before sighing, "Even though I was objecting to it all, at least, I knew how Gu Lingsha was since she was young. I also admit that she's actually a pretty sweet girl. If it were not for what happened after... I think, if Ah Chen liked her, I would've found a way to accept her.

"However, Ah Chen only found out about this engagement after that. By then, Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng were already a couple. Ah Chen did propose to retract the engagement since he was willing to let Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng be together, but the Gu family didn't answer. Anyone could see how simple the reason for this was. Qi Kai might not go to Qi Feng since he was just an illegitimate son, while Ah Chen was born to take on Glory World. Actually, after Gu Qihao passed away, the Mu family and the Gu family's relationship rapidly faded. Between the two families, we rarely spoke about friendship anymore. We only spoke about benefits. Your grandfather knows this, so he gradually distanced himself from the Gu family, and tried hard not to touch on anything about benefits."

When she said this, combined with the things Mu Yuchen told her, Xi Xiaye could now finally start to piece the whole thing together. She fell silent for a while, then said softly, "Don't worry, Mother. I understand. I'll always be by his side."

Zhuang Shurong then sighed a breath of relief and nodded happily. Her expression still had a mix of emotions. "That's good then. I'm not implying anything else by telling you this. I'm just hoping that there won't be any thorns between the two of you. You must both work as one and not easily believe what others say. Understand?"

Even though she felt that the way Zhuang Shurong had spoken to her today was a little odd, Xi Xiaye sincerely responded, "Mmm, I got it, Mother."

After that, the mother and daughter-in-law did not speak further. Wang Hui and Sis Wang were almost done with dinner, so Zhuang Shurong got up and went over to help too.

...

Meanwhile, that very evening, in a certain parking lot before the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.

"I've just come, and you already have to go back. How's nice of you!"

Zhou Zimo raised his brows and glared at Mu Yuchen through narrowed eyes. "Should I say that you're being typical, choosing your love over friends?"

Mu Yuchen stretched his long fingers out to hold his slightly dizzy head as he spoke, "Xiaye had a little incident at the hospital. I'm worried about leaving her alone at home. Figure out what I told you to do."

Zhou Zimo nodded. "Don't worry. Leave these things to me. Aren't you two the most assured? Just treat me to drinks next time."

"When have you ever not left the bill to me at the club?" Mu Yuchen took out a cigarette box and lighter from his pocket and tossed it over to him. Zhou Zimo swiftly caught it. "You want to make me leave with just one box of cigarettes. I suddenly realized that I, Zhou Zimo, am quite cheap to you and Su Chen!"

MuYuchen's expression was calm as he looked at Zhou Zimo and said casually, "Are you worth a box? You're worth a stick at the most! The remaining ones are just to bribe your network."

"Chen, I suddenly realize that you can be quite mean!"

Zhou Zimo leisurely played around with the lighter. The swaying spark appeared strange amidst the dim streetlights.