Her heart almost melted when she heard his words, instantly transforming into soft, fluffy cotton candy.

She gazed into his eyes. "I know. People who are grateful will always feel that happiness is simple. I do think that I'm pretty selfish. For example, I don't want you to have a female secretary."

He grinned without saying anything, then let go of her hand and put his arm over her shoulders. His warmth reached her.

They came here to get Shen Wenna her stuff, so they took a detour and looked around. It was a rarely earned relaxing time for them. Coincidentally, Su Nan was nearby University A to visit her parents, so Xi Xiaye brought Mu Yuchen over to their place.

Xi Xiaye was very familiar with Su Nan's parents. Just like Shen Wenna, they thought of Xi Xiaye like their daughter as well, and they welcomed Mu Yuchen's first visit warmly. Together with Ruan Heng, they were all talking happily.

After dinner, Su Nan stayed over, when she sent Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye off, she dragged Xi Xiaye aside.

"Xiaye, my mother said Master Mu is really sweet. You've trained him well!" Su Nan lowered her voice while glancing over at Mu Yuchen.

Xi Xiaye smiled and shook her head. "I don't train him. It's his own doing. You, on the other hand, trained Ruan Heng very well. He would never defy whatever you say."

"You have no idea. If you didn't get married to Master Mu, I planned to find a man from the list I have and train him to become your loyal husband. Too bad you got together with Master Mu and my plan was ruined. I thought marrying someone like Master Mu would give you a hard time since he's from a prestigious family after all, but now it seems like my worries were unnecessary!"

"You should stop worrying about me. You're going to give birth soon. Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry! I'll be released from my suffering very soon, but you'll have a long way to go. Ruan Heng's mother promised me that she'll help to take care of my kid, so I'll start going back to work again after my body recovers. I don't want to become a housewife. A woman shouldn't give up on her career. By the way, Ruan Heng was promoted to Project Manager last month. To avoid him from cheating on me at work, I made him put his wedding ring on."

"Weren't you insisting on hiding your marriage status a while ago?" Xi Xiaye threw Su Nan a peculiar glance.

"Come on! With the huge wedding and all, how could I still hide it? Okay, take care of yourself now. Oh right, this is for you. I've been very bored lately and knitted a scarf for you. It's my own design!"

Su Nan then handed a bag to Xi Xiaye. "Hurry back now. The weather has been turning cold recently. Get your husband to buy you more clothes. I rarely get the chance to go shopping now."

...

Su Nan was as straightforward as ever. She only let Xi Xiaye go after a long-winded speech.

Mu Yuchen noticed that the woman beside him was smiling while he drove. He could not help but be curious. "What are you laughing at?"

His voice dragged her back to her senses. She smirked at him. "Nothing much. I'm just thinking that Su Nan is really amazing. She said she's going to train Ruan Heng into her loyal husband. I can imagine that Ruan Heng must be having a hard time right now, but well, as long as they are happy. Now that I think about it, are you interested in knowing about the history of Ruan Heng and Su Nan's relationship?"

"Mmm?" He patted her head while waiting for her reply.

"Ruan Heng was quite a mischievous boy back then, but he had excellent grades. Su Nan and he were always looking at each other for trouble. Some time later, Su Nan couldn't stand him anymore, so she dragged him somewhere for a fight. Su Nan was the final victor, so Ruan Heng became Su Nan's follower ever since then. They then got closer to each other after that. Ruan Heng is totally obedient to Su Nan, but Su Nan is very smart. She always puts on an obedient little woman's persona when they are outside. She's a very flexible person when it comes to that."

"Your friend is very free and at ease. If you're somewhat like her, you wouldn't have to suffer so much."

"Everyone has their own way of living. I feel amazing right now as long as you don't bully me. If you continue, I'll divorce you!" She raised her eyebrows and grinned.

"I wouldn't. My value will drop if you divorce me, and you'll regret it as well because you'll never be able to find a husband as good as me," he declared confidently as he slowed down the car before leaving a kiss on her forehead. "I won't give you the chance to do so."

Xi Xiaye laughed. "I thought you'd say I don't have the right to do so."

"No right? I'm giving you every right there is to be."

"Really?"

"Mmm."

...

It was nearly 10 p.m, when they arrived back at Maple Residence. When they drove inside, Xi Xiaye saw Ah Mo's car parked near the entrance.

"It's Ah Mo! What's he doing here so late?" Xi Xiaye threw doubtful glances at the car in front.

Mu Yuchen honked without replying to her before he swiftly parked the car right behind Ah Mo's car.

When their car stopped, someone came up to them.

"Master!" Ah Mo approached them before Xi Xiaye got down. "Missus!"

"What are you doing here so late? Have you had dinner?" Xi Xiaye nodded to Ah Mo as she asked.

"I've had dinner. I'm here for some urgent matter. I didn't expect both you and Master not to be at home."

"We went to have dinner at my friend's house. Let's talk inside. It's pretty cold out here." Xi Xiaye grabbed her bag while trying to find her keycard. She looked over at Mu Yuchen who was still in the car.

Ah Mo nodded and looked at Mu Yuchen as well.

"Let's head in. I have something to talk to you about as well. Is Lingshi at the Mu residence?"

Mu Yuchen locked the car and followed Xi Xiaye with Ah Mo right behind them.

"She had to look after the club today. She'll only be back at the villa after midnight, but she gave me the stuff to bring over. Don't worry."

Mu Yuchen and Ah Mo went upstairs right after they entered Maple Residence. Sis Wang started brewing tea after they went upstairs.

"Let me take this. You can go and rest for now."

When Sis Wang was about to head upstairs with the tea, Xi Xiaye stopped her.

"Missus..."

"It's alright. You don't have to wait anymore after 10 p.m. You have an early day tomorrow." Xi Xiaye smiled as she took the tray from Sis Wang and went upstairs before she could even give a reply.

Inside the study room, Mu Yuchen glanced at the pen inside the box before he handed it to Ah Mo. "Such an exquisite gift would surely leave a record. Find out where it's from. I heard from Father that Aunty doesn't like studying. She was quite against cultural classes for a period of time. If she had a choice, she probably wouldn't have wanted Lingtian to become an academic."

"Do you mean that this might not be a gift from Aunty to Lingtian, but could be...?" Ah Mo's eyes brightened as he said.

"Grandmother mentioned that Aunty treasured this pen a lot, and so did Lingtian. I don't want to make assumptions though. When can we get the DNA test results?" Mu Yuchen looked at Ah Mo.

"We've just received the sample and sent it for testing. In order to maintain secrecy, we might need to wait a few days." Ah Mo then started thinking again. "Master, I think Mr. Wen might not be Lingshi's biological father. After all, Qi Qiming is infamous for having multiple mistresses. Didn't Grandmother say that Aunty hated people like him? If it were really Qi Qiming, why did he abandon Lingtian and Lingshi? Qi Feng is his illegitimate son, but he still welcomed him warmly. Moreover, Qi Feng is very powerful within the family, and he holds an even greater influence than the legitimate son, Qi Lei, so I think there's no reason for him to do so," he voiced out his opinion.

He had thought about it a lot but never mentioned these secrets to Lingshi at all because he was worried that she might act rashly. Most importantly, he did not want her to feel sad.

"We can't struggle against fate. There's too much that we can't control. How can we know for sure?" Mu Yuchen felt it was relatable. He took a pause before he continued, "Aunty is a straightforward person. She's very decisive in her actions."

"If that's the case, Qi Qiming has been together with way too many women. There are Lu Xinlan, who is still currently in the hospital, the woman that gave birth to Qi Feng, as well as his wife Wang Qin. Who knows how many other mistresses he has in secret? How could Aunty...?"

Ah Mo could not accept it. He hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Master, if that's true, then... how could Grandfather, Grandmother, and Lingshi accept this? Knowing it might worry them more..." He frowned, feeling extremely worried.

However, Mu Yuchen still looked calm. He smiled as he glanced at Ah Mo. "This isn't like you, Ah Mo."

Startled, doubts surfaced on Ah Mo's face as he blushed a little.

Ah Mo did not know what to say, so he called out to him, "Master..."

"There are things that we can't escape. We cannot change the facts that have already happened. If that's the truth, unfortunately, we'll still have to accept it. If it's not, then we're lucky."

Mu Yuchen straightened his back and grabbed a book from the bookshelf. He took a yellowed photo out from inside, handing it to Ah Mo. "Find out the identity of the other two men in this photo. If all else fails, cover Aunty's face and publish this photo in the newspaper. We'll reward anyone that knows anything about them!"

Ah Mo took a look at the photo, and he recognized Mu Zi and Sis Lan, but he had no idea who the men behind them were.

"This is a great move. If this comes out in the newspaper, we might even reveal the relationship between Qi Qiming and Lu Xinlan. I doubt they can just sit still!" Ah Mo seemed impressed by his strategy.

"I'm heading to New York with Zimo the day after tomorrow. Please take care of your sister-in-law here. Let her decide on any major company decisions." Mu Yuchen closed the book and placed it back.

"Master, how long will you be there this time?"

"It'll take a while. It'll probably be winter when I return. I'm just worried about your sister-in-law. Please have Ji Zitong on standby all day during this period of time. Get several other people as well. I'm only bringing Li Si over and Ah Bo is already over there."

"Noted, Master." Ah Mo was not worried since Zhou Zimo's people were capable.

"Tell me the results after you receive the DNA report. Don't let anyone know about it. Complete the investigation with haste," Mu Yuchen reminded.

Ah Mo smiled and looked at him. "Are you in a rush because you found out something? I'm sure your visit this time is not only about the project with Master Mo, is it?"

He had worked by Mu Yuchen's side for many years after all, so he could read his mind from time to time.

"There's some news about Qi Feng over there. I'm going to take a look."

"In New York?"

Mu Yuchen nodded. "In New York indeed."

"There is a possibility that he's in New York. Gu Lingsha stayed there for quite a long period of time during her stay there. According to her plan, she should be back in City B in a few days' time. When they return to City Z, then we..."

"Don't let Xiaye come into contact with her. She must be plotting something. I'll meet them personally. As for the question of whether Qi Qiming is Lingshi's biological father, we'll find out after we get our hands on the DNA report. Besides, I think Mr. Wen has more to hide. Qi Qiming shouldn't be the mysterious man we saw at Aunty's grave since that person was taller. Nonetheless, you don't have to worry about it now. We'll wait for the report before making any further decision."

There was a sudden knock on the door, making the two of them turn around as Xi Xiaye came in with a tray.

"Sis Wang brewed some Pu Er tea. I also heated some snacks up for supper." Her tone was gentle as she came in before the two men could answer.

"It's okay, Missus. I just had dinner with Lingshi before coming over." Ah Mo went up and took the tray from her before leaving it on the coffee table nearby. Mu Yuchen went to take her arm as well.

"Have some tea then. What are you guys talking about? You don't look happy." Xi Xiaye noticed the depressing aura on Ah Mo's face.

Ah Mo looked at Mu Yuchen without saying anything. Their discussion was coming to an end, so he stood up and prepared to leave. "It's getting late. Master and Missus, you should get some rest soon. I'll be heading back now."

Mu Yuchen nodded while Ah Mo left the room quietly and gave the couple some space.

It was pretty cold on autumn nights, especially at midnight. The moon in the sky shone its silver rays on the ground as the whole place seemed quiet.

Ah Mo drove straight to Imperial Sky Entertainment Club after leaving Maple Residence. Things were still pretty lively at City Z even though it was midnight already, and the club was crowded. There was even a little traffic jam on the way there.

It was 1a.m. when Ah Mo reached the club. He parked at the temporary parking outside the club before walking in.

Everyone knew him, so a lot of people greeted him on his way inside.

"Hi, Bro Mo!"

"Manager Ah Mo!"

Ah Mo nodded without any expression. He went straight to Mu Lingshi's office. As he passed the corridor, he saw Mu Lingshi busy giving instructions to the club personnel. There was a huge crowd in the club with many people on the dance floor writhing along with the dancers on stage.

"Manager Mu, Manager Ah Mo is here," said the DJ as he glanced at the corridor.

Mu Lingshi turned over and could barely see Ah Mo by the corridor. After a moment, she turned back and continued talking to the DJ and several others, "Follow the plan we talked about just now. It's the peak period now, but the number of people I've arranged to be on the floor should be enough. Just stay alert at all times and inform me if anything urgent happens. I'll head back first."

"Noted, Manager Mu. Don't worry!" they replied.

Mu Lingsi nodded and waved her hand as a signal for them to go back to work. She took her earphones off and walked towards the corridor as Ah Mo quickly followed her.

Mu Lingshi and Ah Mo went into her office one after another.

Thud!

Mu Lingshi turned around and wanted to close the door when she unexpectedly bumped into Ah Mo's solid chest. She definitely felt the pain on her forehead as she covered it with her hand. Ah Mo closed the door with one hand while he held her with the other. "Are you alright?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Have you pass the stuff to Brother?"

Nodding, Ah Mo took the large sunglasses off her face when he noticed she was still frowning. He kept them into his pocket while he rubbed her forehead apologetically. "I'm sorry. Is it painful?"

"Try slamming your head into a wall and tell me if it's painful or not."

Mu Lingshi stared at him moments later, seeming like she wanted to say something. Ah Mo looked back at her with his clear eyes, unlike his usual humble self.

Mu Lingshi frequently teased him for being a stiff old man, but when he was cheerful, he gave off vibes of sunshine and rainbows, and was extremely charming.

A faint light flashed past Mu Lingshi's eyes. Before Ah Mo could react, she closed in and kissed his lips gently...

Ah Mo was stunned for a moment. Then, he wrapped his arms around her and soon took the initiative. He grabbed her wrist. Suddenly, the two of them exchanged positions.

When Ah Mo's hand reached her collar, she suddenly stopped him. Her eyes gave him an insurmountable amount of pressure. "I saw what you had in the document folder. Do you have anything to tell me about it?"

"Lingshi..."

Ah Mo took a deep breath as he suppressed his beastly instincts inside his blood. His eyes went back to normal again as he let go of her. Then, he tidied her clothes while he spoke, "You don't have to know about it now. We don't have a conclusion yet."

"I know Brother has been investigating on his own. That man was among the group of people we shortlisted too. Brother even went to see Lu Xinlan, but she declined to see me. Both Brother and Sister-in-law are working on this without letting our grandparents know. However, since I'm very much involved, shouldn't I know about it?"

Mu Lingshi's gaze never moved away from Ah Mo's face.

"We'll tell you after we get the results. Meanwhile, don't think too much about it. Master just told me that we can't make a conclusion yet. We plan to tell you after we're certain."

Ah Mo was getting anxious. Apart from worrying that the information might be leaked, he could not bear to see her heartbroken.

He did not expect Mu Lingshi to know the password to his safe box, so...

"Results? I've thought about it a lot. Everything could be explained if that person is Qi Qiming. Lingtian must've known about it, and that's why he helped Qi Feng to run away with Gu Lingsha. He even betrayed Brother for it. Qi Qiming then hated Brother for what happened, and he's been plotting revenge against Brother. Am I right?"

Mu Lingshi's expression turned cold while her eyes were still fixed on Ah Mo.

Ah Mo did not say anything. He just looked back into her eyes without moving an inch.

She suddenly barked a half-hearted laugh. All of a sudden, her voice became hoarse as she sobbed.