Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After breakfast the next day, the Shen Residence started getting lively. Shen Yue and Uncle Wang were taking care of the plants in the yard as Shen Wenna and Aunt Xu were making dumplings for the reunion dinner. While City Z was in the north, many families had the practice of eating dumplings for their reunion dinner, so Shen Wenna made some too.
Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye were handling the calligraphy couplets and lanterns.
They worked until 6 p.m. in the evening before the family had their reunion dinner joyously. Because the couple needed to hurry back to the Mu Residence, Shen Yue and Shen Wenna sent them off.
"I got Uncle Wang to put some gifts into the trunk. Give them to your grandparents and parents. Take some time to visit us after the New Year." Shen Yue stood by the door and was starting to miss Xi Xiaye already.
In the end, the girl still had to go... Every time he thought about this, he felt like his treasure was being snatched away, and he felt empty and sour inside.
"Please be happy and well, Chen. Send my regards to your parents and grandparents," Shen Wenna told him.
The couple nodded. "Grandpa, Mother, please get back in. It's pretty cold outside. I'll be sure to return with Xiaye after the New Year."
"Okay, get in the car. It's getting late soon. They're going to be worried!"
A rare gentle smile broke across Shen Wenna's frigid face as she patted Xi Xiaye's shoulder before she guided Shen Yue back into the house.
"Mmm, we'll go now. Grandpa and Mother, please go back inside too." Xi Xiaye felt a little sullen as she sat on the front passenger seat and waved to them.
"Remember to come back frequently. Give us a call before coming over. Grandpa will prepare your favorite dish at home. Maple Residence isn't that far away from here..."
While Shen Yue's voice sounded old, it had a very strong intent in it. Xi Xiaye nodded obediently.
The car started leaving the Shen Residence under the night sky.
The whole City Z was very lively. They could hear the sound of firecrackers and fireworks and they passed through the streets. One by one, the fireworks went off in the night sky and Xi Xiaye stared at them with her clear eyes.
Suddenly, her phone started vibrating at the side and she came back to her senses. Taking a glimpse, she noticed that it was Su Nan calling her.
"Su Nan?" She picked up the call.
"Xiaye? Happy New Year's Eve!"
Su Nan's sweet voice came over from the phone. "It's the first day of the New Year tomorrow. Come out and relax tomorrow night!"
"Tomorrow night? Umm..."
Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen hesitantly while Su Nan just went on, "I know you're a woman with a family right now, but aren't I too? You know what? Bring your man over as well. I've booked a room at Emperor and invited a few good friends. You know some of them too! Consider it a celebration for both our marriages and also a New Year celebration..."
Su Nan's voice bombarded her ears. Xi Xiaye hesitated before asking Mu Yuchen, "Su Nan's inviting us for a gathering at Emperor. Do you..."
"You should go out and relax more. I won't bother your friends' gathering. Zhou Zimo has invited me to his place for cards, so you decide for yourself whether you want to follow me or go with your friends," he replied quietly.
Xi Xiaye frowned slightly and after some consideration, she decided. "I'll go with Su Nan then."
"Mmm, I'll send you over. Give me a call when you want to go back."
She nodded and then said to Su Nan on the phone, "Su Nan, actually I just wanted to call you and invite both you and Ruan Heng over to the opening ceremony of Glory World Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Anyway, I'll talk to you about it tomorrow night then."
"The opening ceremony for Imperial Sky Entertainment City?" Su Nan screamed, "Really? Is it really okay for people like us to join such a significant event? I know that only big shots can join events like this."
"Aren't I inviting you to become our guest now? Sometime later, Fashion City under Imperial Sky is going to organize a fashion show and I'm sure you'll be interested. Come over and take a look."
Su Nan gladly accepted Xi Xiaye's invitation.
Xi Xiaye hung up on the call and turned around to the man who was focusing on driving. "The PR Department is done sending out all the invitations, isn't it?"
"They were done with it last night. They move pretty quickly," Mu Yuchen replied.
Xi Xiaye nodded. "I'll hand the invitations to Su Nan tomorrow then. There should be some invitations left at home, shouldn't there?"
"Just get Ah Mo to send them over tomorrow. You can take charge of the opening ceremony. Ah Mo will be helping you." Suddenly, he turned his head to look at her as he placed his hand onto hers. "There's something I have to inform you about."
"What is it?" She looked at his large hand in doubt.
He suddenly tightened his grip and said, "I'm going to City B right after the New Year, so I'll leave things here to you. Can you handle it?"
"You're going to City B?"
Xi Xiaye was surprised. No wonder he was leaving this matter in her hands. She frowned worriedly. "Is there something wrong with the partnership?"
"No, it's about the actual contract signing as well as sending an inspection team. Coincidentally, the daughter of Chairman Li from the company we're working with is getting married, so I might stay over for a night or two," he replied indifferently.
"Mmm, then you should bring Ah Mo over. I can handle things here on my own. The PR Department has done most of the preparations, so I'm just overseeing things on that day."
Xi Xiaye gave it some thought with a frown. "Don't worry, Vice President Zhang is around as well. I'll go to him for advice if anything comes up."
"Wow, are you being a humble person now?" Mu Yuchen laughed as he moved his hand away. He put his arm over her shoulder and she did not struggle this time. Scoffing, she looked at him. "I've always been a humble person. When are you going?"
"I'll go by the evening of the second day after the New Year. I'll be back in time for the opening ceremony."
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Mmm, get enough rest these two days then. It's going to be pretty tiring for you. After the opening ceremony, most of our projects will go into a more relaxed phase."
"Are you concerned about me?" A smile appeared on his handsome face as he heard her words, his grip on her shoulder tightening slightly.
Xi Xiaye just stared at him without saying anything.
Things quieted down inside the car. Mu Yuchen was still driving and he glanced over at her when the woman did not say anything for quite some while. He noticed something.
She was staring at a number on her phone, seeming distracted as a complicated expression appeared on her face. It was as if she was struggling.
"Just call that number. Hesitating isn't going to help." He nudged her as though he understood her inner struggles. Stunned, Xi Xiaye turned around and gaped at him in shock.
"You know who I wanted to call?" She blurted out.
"Why wouldn't I?" He replied calmly as he slowed the car down.
Xi Xiaye sighed on the inside. She almost forgot that the man's eyes were all-seeing. Sometimes, she realized he could see through everything about her, yet until now she was unable to look at him openly...
She hesitated for another brief moment before calling the number.
The call went through quickly, but it was not Xi Jiyang who picked up the call. Instead, it was Xi Xinyi...
She was way too familiar with Xi Xinyi's voice!
"Hello? Who are you looking for?" Xi Xinyi asked gently when no one spoke on the phone after she picked up the call. She then spoke to Yifeng beside her, "Yifeng, why are you here? Oh, right, Grandfather actually liked your present a lot. It's been some time since I last saw him so happy. We have to come back and visit him more in the future..."
Xi Xiaye slowly put her hand down as she stared at her phone screen go dim. A self-mocking smile appeared on her beautiful face.
Of course, she could hear the elated voices from the other end. Compared to the Shen Residence, West Park was much livelier and she even heard Xi Jiyang's laughter as well.
This call was probably not necessary.
Mu Yuchen did not say anything when he saw her expression darken. He did not tell her that he had actually sent Ah Mo to West Park and handed a special gift to Xi Jiyang under her name.
With her worrying EQ, she would never be able to beat the expert in acting.
After some moments of silence, she tossed her phone aside and closed her eyes in fatigue. She said quietly, "I want to take a nap."
He nodded and replied gently, "Mmm, I'll wake you up when we reach."
He even grabbed a blanket for her.
At the same time, in West Park.
The elder Xi Jiyang was sitting on the living room sofa while flipping through a thick and yellowish album. A precious cheerful expression was on his face and his hands were shaking slightly as he was not able to hide his excitement.
Someone had sent the album over just now and said that it was a New Year's gift from Ms. Xiaye. Opening it, he noticed that the album recorded all his achievements when he was still active in politics as well as some of the important events involving him back in the day. There was a whole list of newspapers and magazine clippings all arranged in chronological order.
He was suddenly reminded of his old days. Every image summoned a past memory deep inside him, making him feel like he had traveled back in time...
Tears were on the verge of falling from his eyes. He flipped through the album again and again dearly with a fulfilled smile spreading across his wizened face. He did not even look at the well-prepared and expensive gifts Han Yifeng and Xi Xinyi had bought for him. Instead, he praised Xi Xiaye, "Your sister is really amazing. Just how much effort did she put into making this? She found me my precious old memories... How great! Xinyi, you'd better learn from your sister."
Xi Xinyi was a little distracted when she heard Xi Jiyang's words. Nevertheless, after a while, she smiled gently as she nodded. "Mmm, I got it. I told you so! Sister won't forget about you. She's even prepared such a meticulous gift for you. As long as you're happy!"
Xi Jiyang glimpsed at Xi Xinyi.
"Grandfather, I..." Xi Xinyi's expression froze.
Before she could reply, Xi Jiyang mumbled to himself as he closed the album, "It's not been very lively around here in the recent years. I wonder if she's gone back to her mother. It's been years since I've had a reunion dinner with her."
"Her coming back here will just give us trouble. We've indulged her too much and she's become extremely rude now! Lingsi was being considerate about Shen Wenna and just let her daughter do whatever she wanted. Now, look at her arrogance!" Deng Wenwen criticized unhappily when she heard Xi Jiyang.
The New Year spirit got more and more fired up as fireworks shot up high into the sky everywhere. The car rumbled under the beautiful fireworks as they arrived into the Mu Residence. Xi Xiaye was already asleep on the man's shoulder.
However, she was a light sleeper and she woke up the moment the car stopped moving.
Wang Hui and the others had prepared the reunion dinner and were waiting for them to arrive.
"Come and sit down. I'm worried the dishes might go cold, so I even started making them later."
Wang Hui looked at the young couple with a big smile, her tone kind. She felt that the more she looked at Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye standing beside each other, the more she thought of them being a perfect couple. She was over the moon as she thought that she would be able to have a grandchild soon.
Mu Yinan could not help but pat his wife's shoulder when he saw her face. "Don't put on such a vulgar smile. You might frighten them."
"Who has a vulgar smile now?" Wang Hui glared at Mu Yinan, annoyed by what he said. "I can't believe that such words came from a vulgar person like you."
"So, only you can talk about others and I can't talk about you? Can you be any more unreasonable?"
Mu Yinan was not convinced.
"I'm the reason here. Any problems?"
"I'm not going to talk to you anymore!"
"Talk? My smile has nothing to do with you, alright? Am I disturbing you in any way?"
"Just ignore them. They'll come and eat after they are done." Mu Yuchen lowered his voice as he glanced at the old couple fighting before them as he spoke to the slightly shocked Xi Xiaye.
Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong smiled at each other and shook their head helplessly. Then, they started serving everyone wine.