Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Xi Xiaye wanted to reject their offer because she did not feel quite hungry, yet she did not have the heart to reject their kind gesture.
Mu Tangchuan was rushing over for a dinner party, and he felt that the restaurant's pastries were not bad. In fact, his own wife was taking care of their daughter-in-law at the hospital too, so he brought some pastries over.
"Thank you, Father, Mother."
Mu Tangchuan, who stood behind Zhuang Shurong by the bedside, nodded and smiled. "It's fine. Your mother fancies these little pastries. They're only slightly sweet and not too greasy, so they should suit your taste too. If you want anything, just let your mother-in-law or grandmother make it for you."
"Mother and Grandmother have been stewing lavish meals for me every day. There's been a different flavor a day. I can't say for sure, but Grandmother and Mother's skills are wonderful. Don't worry. I'm recovering very well, but I'm just worried that when this confinement's over, my figure..."
As Xi Xiaye responded, she sat up with disheveled hair. Zhuang Shurong considerately fixed her hat and coat. "Be careful. You have to eat more with this physique of yours. Don't get sick during your confinement. Otherwise, when you get older, you'll be the one suffering. I remember when I gave birth to Ah Chen, I became much fatter, and I even put on 10 kilograms from before I was pregnant."
When Zhuang Shurong finished, Mu Tangchuan answered for her from behind, "15 kilograms."
As Mu Tangchuan said this, he was immediately met with a dangerous glare from Zhuang Shurong. He then turned around and cleared his throat. "Okay, it's getting quite late now. You can rest when you're done eating. Tonight, your mother will be accompanying you, so I'll be going back first."
Mu Tangchuan hinted at Zhuang Shurong with his gaze, his intentions clear. He wanted her to send her off.
Zhuang Shurong ignored him and handed the porridge to Xi Xiaye.
Xi Xiaye took the bowl and smiled through pursed lips. "Mother, how about you go back with Father first? I'm fine here. I can already get down from the bed and move around anyway. There are bodyguards outside and personal nurses. Don't worry. It's the eighth day of the New Year tomorrow, and you two have to go to work. Really, don't worry about me."
"Well, Xiaye, I just have some things to discuss with your mother. Later on, she'll still look after you. Don't worry," Mu Tangchuan said, and held Zhuang Shurong by the arm as he walked out of the door.
When Xi Xiaye saw this, she could only shake her head. Then, she silently lowered her head to have the porridge.
After she had half a small bowl, she did not continue. She drank a few gulps of warm water, and the phone that was set aside on the table vibrated. She quickly picked up to hear that it was the man.
"Hello? Mr. Mu."
"Mmm, haven't slept yet?" His deep and sensitive voice immediately came from the other end.
"Not yet. Earlier, the baby was hungry. Then, Father brought some pastries over. They're quite good. How's your thing coming along?" She propped herself up and pulled up the blanket as she asked.
"Mmm, not bad, but I don't think I'll be able to go home tonight. There are still some things to handle, so I plan to stay here for a bit more. Are you okay on your own?"
"I'm fine. I'm an adult, and I can take care of myself. Besides, Mother and the rest have been watching me. Mr. Mu, why do I find that you're getting more and more long-winded like you're reaching andropause or something?" Xi Xiaye was finding his cautious tone a little unusual.
"I'm just worried that you won't feel comfortable with them. What a heartless woman!"
"If you let Father and Mother hear this, they probably won't be happy. How uncomfortable could we be as a family? I think it's quite okay. Grandmother and Mother have been taking care of me well these few days. It's just that I've been trapped inside this ward for many days, so I'm feeling a little miserable." Xi Xiaye sighed and held her head, feeling a little distressed.
"Be patient. You can go home in another two days. Now, do you know that it's tough?" His chuckle was heard, sounding warm in her ears.
"I don't find it tough. Mr. Mu, we have a son now. Let's have a daughter too." As Xi Xiaye said this, her eyes brimmed with a hopeful light. She must satisfy his wish of having a daughter.
While looking at the scenery by the balcony, Mu Yuchen suddenly laughed. He gazed down at the alternating flickers from the streetlights and cars, and a faint tenderness surfaced on his handsome face. "We'll talk about this later on. Our son's still young now. What are you rushing for?"
"Of course, I'm rushing. I'm already 28. When he's two years old, I'll be 30. After that, I'll really be at an advanced maternal age. I want you to promise me first."
"Okay, you don't have to keep bugging me about this question. With Xiao Ru, we have two sons now. We'll wait till you can get used to it. Do you really think raising children is easy?"
With her health, Doctor Huang had said that it would not be easy for her to get pregnant again, so he could only console her.
"Even if it isn't simple, I can handle it. I trust in my abilities!"
Xi Xiaye made a solemn vow. She would only know later on how tough it would be to persist. No, Mu Yuchen would be the one suffering. She had already become the queen of the household, so how could he bear to let her suffer?
They had just hung up when Zhou Zimo called out in the house. Mu Yuchen smiled and put away his phone before his expression returned to its usual silence and calm.
Li Si, who was waiting on the side, immediately went up when he saw Mu Yuchen as he reported, "Master, Ah Bao's back. He's right outside."
Mu Yuchen nodded and went to sit on the sofa. "Let him in."
"Drink up a little." Zhou Zimo handed him a glass of liquor.
Ah Bao briskly walked in with a gloomy expression. He bowed respectfully towards Mu Yuchen. "Master!"
Mu Yuchen lowered his head to take a sip before he said calmly, "Explain the situation."
"Yes, Master! Our people were following that car earlier, and we turned into Xicheng district's traffic port. Then, we realized that apart from us, a group of people was following the car in front too. They followed them all the way towards the road to suburbs from Xicheng district. Because I was worried about being noticed, I gave up on following them, but I noticed that those people seem to be from City B too. Afterward, they lost them," Ah Bao answered.
"Does that mean you didn't get anything from your trip this time?" Mu Yuchen's gaze instantly turned dark, and his tone contained a hint of coldness too.
"That might not be true, Master!" Ah Bao answered and took a step forward as he continued, "I know one of them who was among those also chasing after them! As long as I find him to understand the situation, and see who they were trailing after, we'll know the identities of those people!"
When Ah Bao finished his narration, Mu Yuchen's profound eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light. He noticed the gaze that Zhou Zimo was giving him, and he returned the look with depth too. Then, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Ah Bao. "How much time do you need to find that person?"
Ah Bao bowed slightly and responded, "We'll definitely find him by noon tomorrow!"
Mu Yuchen nodded. "Okay, I'll give you one day. In one day, you have to find that person and find out why they were chasing after that person in front. Also, find a way to find out who they're working for."
"Yes, Master, don't worry. I'll go investigate right away!" Ah Bao responded, then rushed down.
When he heard the door close, Mu Yuchen looked up at Li Si. "Have you found out more about Gu Lingsha?"
"I haven't found out much for now. After the auction ended, our people have been secretly following Doris and Gu Lingsha. We realize that the mother and daughter went to VR Spa. We haven't gotten any news until now, so they haven't left for sure."
"This mother and daughter really do know how to enjoy themselves. At VR Luxury Spa, there are only 88 members. It's where the nouveau riche and aristocrats gather as a symbol of status. It's a money-squandering establishment inside. Even if you have the money, you might not be able to get a membership card as long as the name list is full. Hmm, how did they get in?" Zhou Zimo finished the drink in his glass at a go and asked in mystification.
"Master Mo, don't you already know? The Gu family is very close to the boss. The member card that Doris has was arranged for behind closed doors. You can tell how nice he is to his wife, Doris! No wonder Gu Lingsha has the guts to be so prideful."
When Li Si recalled Gu Lingsha's elegant and noble face, he only thought it was pretentious. Their Director Xi, their Missus, was better. Even though she also had a celebrated status, she was like their low-profile Master. Most importantly, she was a friendly person and was kind to everyone. She did not discriminate when it came to treating others.
Gu Lingsha was different. Previously, when she was not with Master but with Mu Yinan, he had been in contact quite a few times with Gu Lingsha. Gu Lingsha had always been self-righteous. Even though she seemed courteous on the surface, she was actually very distant, and her tone when she spoke sounded odd.
Li Si felt repelled by her instinctively.
"Is it Gu Qiwu? I did hear that Gu Qiwu is quite loyal to his woman, Doris. Years ago, to get her, he did sacrifice a lot, and in the end, he did win the belle. They have been loving up till now. They are a fine example of a husband and wife, aren't they, Li Si?"
Zhou Zimo did hear some rumors about Gu Qiwu and Doris.
"That's true, but Doris really does have a way of making her man spoil her. Look at when she stood with Gu Lingsha. They don't look like mother and daughter but sisters. She's already over 50 years old, yet she still looks like a young and delicate lady. You can see that this woman's quality of life must be pretty luxurious," Li Si quickly responded.
"Two bloody-sucking evil spirits!" Zhou Zimo flicked away some strands of hair that fell on his forehead. When he remembered the way those two women had waltzed in and caused quite a few reactions, he could not help but sigh. "At such a huge occasion, she was still dressed all sinister-like at her age. It's no wonder you don't really like her, Chen."
As he spoke, he glanced at Mu Yuchen with an odd expression.
Nonetheless, Mu Yuchen just glanced at him with a lukewarm gaze. He suddenly sneered and said something shocking, "'Evil spirits' is a good term to me, so don't insult this term. They are only fitting to be two leeches."
When Mu Yuchen said that, Zhou Zimo spat his drink out and felt goosebumps. After trembling slightly, he subconsciously winced and shrunk his body!
Leech!
A disgusted fear flashed past in Zhou Zimo's eyes. He eased himself for quite a while and then nodded vigorously. "Leeches! Chen, you're so imaginative! In fact, nothing can describe them better. They are beyond disgusting, focused on blood-sucking, and they can't be rid off. Even just thinking about it makes me scared."
Mu Yuchen, Su Chen, and Zhou Zimo were three buddies who used to frequently have training in the wild when they were still in the army, so they would always bump into such creepy crawlies. Zhou Zimo still had lingering fears, and he felt rather disgusted and afraid of those things.
Meanwhile, Li Si could not help but laugh out loud. Although Mu Yuchen remained seated with an indifferent expression, he looked solemn, thus it was hard to imagine that such harsh words had just come out of his mouth.
"Li Si, go investigate how it's like near Doyle Street. Think of a way to find out about the exact location of Xiang She Residences. We'll go over to take a look tomorrow. Watch Gu Lingsha closely and find out what she's trying to do."
"Okay, Master. Right, Master, the mother and daughter pair entered VR Spa. Do you think they're doing anything inside? Could they have just handed over the pen they bid for to someone else, or do some kind of transaction with someone else?" Li Si stopped laughing then and shared his suspicion.
With a sigh, Mu Yuchen turned to take a look at Zhou Zimo with a knowing gaze. "I should've brought Su Chen over."
"Su Chen? Why? Do you think that little amount of money in his card could help you win the bid for that pen?" Zhou Zimo whined unhappily.
"But that police badge he wears is much more useful than the card on you," Mu Yuchen retorted and then slowly got up to walk towards his room.
"He kind of makes sense too. Well, it's late. Quickly wash up and sleep then. Chen, I'm sleeping with you tonight!" Zhou Zimo followed him.
"No, you can't—"
"Fine, you're making it seem as if you haven't slept with me before."
"Get out!" His deep and cold voice reverberated while a slipper flew towards Zhou Zimo.
Evading it, Zhou Zimo did a comical action toward Li Si before running to his room. Li Si was stunned before he left the room while suppressing his laughter.
These two buddies might be quite serious on the daily, but once they were playful, it would truly make one widen their eyes. If Master Su Chen was around, it would be even livelier here. Sometimes, Li Si admired their brotherhood.
They grew up together, went to school together, played together, and after that even went to the military academy together and served in the same troop. These life experiences shaped them. Many people wished they could have this, but all of that could be attributed to the foresight of their family elders.
Alright, he had to go watch Gu Lingsha now!
Li Si carefully closed the door and then rushed toward VR Spa.
At night on the seventh day of the New Year, City B returned to its usual bustle. With the celebration of the New Year these past few days, the entire city had been emptier than usual, yet tomorrow would be the first day back to work. With that in mind, many people returned to the city, so the entire city returned to its usual flourish.
Outside the VR Spa, Li Si was seated in the car.
Li Si stared at the spa entrance as he asked, "Anything new?"
"They're still inside. Bro Bao has already arranged for some of our guys to block the back door. Don't worry."
Li Si nodded as he pushed his sleeve up to take a glance at the watch on his wrist. The time showed that it was close to 1 a.m. He thought to himself, 'These two women had so much time in there. It's already past midnight, and they're still there. Doris really knows how to enjoy herself. Does Gu Qiwu not care?'
He found it a little odd as he thought about this.
While Li Si was deep in his thoughts, the bodyguard on the side called out, "Assistant Li, they're out!"
Li Si was alert as he quickly put away his thoughts and looked at the entrance of the spa. Indeed, they saw that Doris and Gu Lingsha were cheerfully leaving the place before getting into a luxury car.
"Follow them, but be careful. Don't let them notice us! I'll go in to take a look." Li Si quickly ordered and then got down from the car.
Mu Yuchen had found a way to get into the spa with his partner, CEO Li's help, so he should be there.
"Okay."
Quickly, the black cars left the spa one after another.
Actually, the night was not quite peaceful. The next morning, just when they had finished their breakfast, Li Si returned with the guys, but Ah Bao was nowhere to be seen.
Mu Yuchen set aside the cutlery in his hand, and took a napkin to wipe his mouth as he looked at Li Si by the table and asked calmly, "How's the situation?"
Li Si bowed respectfully and said, "We found out that Doris and Gu Lingsha really did hang out at VR Spa for the entire night. They only left at dawn, but they didn't get in touch with anyone else in between, so the pen should still be with them. According to the people at spa, the mother and daughter pair have been frequenting the spa, especially Doris."
When Mu Yuchen heard the update, he immediately asked, "Did you ask whether Gu Qiwu often went with her?"
Li Si shook his head. "We asked. Those attendants say that they've never seen Gu Qiwu accompany Doris there. Maybe it's because he's quite busy too, so he wouldn't have the time to accompany this woman for such pastime. Doris is a dame raised in a rich household. She doesn't even need to go to work, but Gu Qiwu's different. He's managing the entire Hui Gu Corporation alone. I'm sure he's worn out. Right, Master, I've checked Hui Gu Corporation. It seems like because of poor management, they've been a little tight on funds."
Mu Yuchen's dignified expression was grave as he fell into deep thought. Even when Zhou Zimo called out to him several times, he did not move and his gaze flickered, so you could not tell how he felt at the moment.
A while passed before he tossed the napkin in his hand down and stood up unhurriedly. "Get the address of Xiang She Residences. Prepare the car. We'll go over for a look right now."
"Okay, Master!"
Xiang She Residences was in the north of City B around the old city area. While there were quite a few old looking buildings on the side, of course, there were also new streets and newly built buildings. However, with the old and new mixed, it did not look very harmonious.
The car slowly drove past the wide Doyle Street, and after making a huge turn, they reached a somewhat old alley.
"Master, Master Mo, we're here. The map shows that it's right here." Li Si had just finished when Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo already got down from the car.
They followed Li Si's gaze and looked over to see a very quiet alley with green flagstones laid on the pavements. On one side was a tall wall, while the other side had an old house that had not been demolished. A tall building that rose steeply from the ground level was on the other side of that wall, and in the middle was this road with green flagstones separating them was a very clear divider line.
"Master, that exit used to be the exit of Xiang She Residences. There were more than ten villas in the residence, but now they've all been relocated. That tall building over there was the old address of Xiang She Residences. Now, traces of Xiang She Residences can't be found anymore."
Li Si looked pitifully at those high rise buildings. "I heard that those high-rises have only just been built in recent years. Xiang She Residences used to be a place where only the rich and powerful could purchase. If Miss Mu Zi could really have bought a place here, I think with just her alone having to hide it from everyone wouldn't have been easy."
"Have you found out about the investors of Xiang She Residences back then? And that of the people that sold their houses? Years ago, did Aunty personally interact with them? We have to find out about all these," Mu Yuchen said as he walked towards the alley.
"I'm afraid we won't be able to meet the people who sold their houses. Ah Bao found out that the person seems to have passed away two years ago. The investor was a foreign developer who left City B over 20 years ago, but Ah Bao found out that there was another investor with that developer back then too. I'm sure you wouldn't have guessed which company it is, Master," said Li Si in a lowered voice.
"Who is it? Is it that secretive?" Zhou Zimo stopped his steps and turned to look at Li Si.
"Hui Gu Corporation."
When Li Si said that, Zhou Zimo's eyes immediately widened. He reeled back a little in shock as he shook his head. "That's not right. How could it be him? Gu Qiwu? Also, based on what you said, Xiang She Residences was only built in a short while, so why did it so quickly get demolished for relocation?"
"Oh, it's because City B's new plan was released. The old city area was being refurbished again, so they had to demolish these houses."
Mu Yuchen did not say anything. His eyes just flickered while his expression was a little gloomy. You could not tell how he felt. He glanced up again at the large area before nodding calmly. "No need to continue investigating over here. Let's leave first," he said, then turned around with waning interest. His stooped back profile looked like he was very troubled.
"Stop the investigations? Master Mo, Master, he..."
Zhou Zimo shrugged as he lifted a hand to pat Li Si's shoulder and sighed. "We couldn't find out anything even after we investigated, so forget it. I'm afraid your Master will have to go meet Gu Qiwu personally. You should know that that's something he really doesn't want to do," said Zhou Zimo. Then, he could not help but knock his forehead as he sighed deeply and then chased after Mu Yuchen.
"Boss, I've followed your orders and investigated the guestlist for yesterday's auction. We found something."
Ah Yong carefully presented his findings to the quiet man sitting in the passenger seat in the car. The man was still wearing a hat and dark sunglasses like before, and his black coat almost covered him wholly. Both his hands were in his side pockets as he took a glance at the paper. Then, he took it and then started to read through it.
When he saw the name Mu Yuchen, his gaze turned cold, but his eyes returned to normal soon after that.
"Mu Yuchen is in City B just like you said. I'm sure that pen was his trap for you, Boss. However, they took the pen away in the end. What should we do? Do we just give up like this?" Ah Yong seemed disgruntled.
The man who was called "Boss" took a deep breath as he put on a cold smile. "It's within my expectations. Also, it's only natural that we shouldn't take Mu Yuchen lightly."
"By the way, they also went to Doyle Street this morning. I bet they know about that house already."
"Mu Yuchen acts pretty fast. He saw through Qi Qiming's end very quickly and is now getting closer to the truth already. It might not be a good thing for them. Actually, it might have been better if no one knew." The man's tone was filled with sarcasm."Once these secrets are revealed, I doubt there's anyone courageous enough to accept them."
"What should we do now, Boss? There were two groups of people tailing us last night. The other group must be Mu Yuchen's people."
"Just leave it for now. You don't have to do anything from now on. Just wait for my orders."
"Yes, Boss!"
In the afternoon, Ah Bao finally returned to the hotel to report to Mu Yuchen after working hard for a whole day.
"Head in. Master is out on the balcony. I'm going out," said Li Si when he bumped into Ah Bao at the entrance. Ah Bao took a deep breath before going inside.
Mu Yuchen was relaxing on the balcony as he relaxed on a rattan chair. He was sunbathing while wearing a pair of huge sunglasses.
"Master!" Ah Bao quietly called him.
"Speak," Mu Yuchen replied briefly without moving his body.
"I've found out that the other group pursuing the man was the wife of the Hui Gu Corporation CEO, who is Doris."
Mu Yuchen clenched his fist as he heard the name. Even Ah Bao could sense some hostility in the air. Moments later, Ah Bao took a deep breath and continued, "But we don't know who the person we're chasing is yet. According to the other group, they are trying to find out who that man was well, but they lost track of him too, so..."
Mu Yuchen nodded. "I understand. Great job. You can leave for now."
"We're not doing any further investigations?"
"There's no need."
Ah Bao left after Mu Yuchen gave him a short reply.
"Have you figured something out?" Zhou Zimo asked after the door was closed.
Mu Yuchen took off his sunglasses and turned his head over to see Zhou Zimo standing nearby.
"What could I have figured out?"
Mu Yuchen smiled as he grabbed the glass of water beside him and took a sip from it before looking at the vast, blue sky. "Let's return to City Z tonight. Leave things here to Ah Bao and the others."
"What's wrong with you? You seem to have a lot on your mind. What are you thinking about?"
Zhou Zimo was friends with Mu Yuchen for many years after all, so he noticed something was not right. "What did Ah Bao tell you just now?"
"Nothing much, but I have a bad feeling. It's been some time since Ah Mo and Lingshi went to Australia. I guess there'll be news coming in a few days, so we'll talk about it again then. There's something else I need to do before heading back," Mu Yuchen said calmly.
"To meet Gu Qiwu, isn't it?" Zhou Zimo walked over and lay down on the rattan lounge chair beside Mu Yuchen.
"How will he face you? Now that I think about it, Gu Qiwu felt really strange to me. He didn't react ever since that incident, and he seemed too calm for it. He might be the one who saved Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng. Moreover, I remember his attitude towards you wasn't very agreeable. Does he not like you or something?"
"I don't really know him that well. We only started getting involved with each other after I left the army, but I do know he doesn't exactly like my parents a lot. When my father was still working in City B, several projects from the Hui Gu Corporation were stopped. I think the relationship between the Mus and the Gus has been deteriorating ever since, and six years ago, during the financial crisis, the Hui Gu Corporation almost went bankrupt. There was a project that could help them go through that difficult period, and they were secretly in contact with Qi Qiming. However, their opponent for that project was Glory World." While Mu Yuchen recalled the past events calmly, he did not project any emotions into his words.
"Oddly enough, he insisted on letting Gu Lingsha marry me, and his attitude towards me during that period of time was beyond expectations. In order to make me accept Gu Lingsha wholeheartedly, he suggested I stay with the Gu family for three months. He promised to leave us alone if we didn't feel anything for each other after three months."
Zhou Zimo nodded and took a deep breath. "I know about that. Ah Mo told me about it before too, but you didn't stay with the Gu family, did you?"
"Yes, I don't like Gu Lingsha at all, so I inherently reject her. I can't even stand talking to her. How could I stay with her for three months?" Mu Yuchen then put on a cold smile. "I left that night itself, but Gu Qiwu tried to use the media to force me to follow his plans. We were the talk of the whole town. If I just left, it'd be a big slap on their face in public, so I couldn't just go so easily."
"So, you decided to let Lingtian stay because he went there together with you. He was good friends with Gu Lingsha, wasn't he?" Zhou Zimo squinted at Mu Yuchen.
Mu Yuchen took a deep breath and nodded. "Mmm, back then, I knew that Lingtian was pretty close to Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng, and most people already know about Gu Lingsha and Qi Feng's relationship by then. I assumed Gu Lingsha succumbed to her family's pressure and agreed to stay with me. I told Lingtian everyone will be free after three months, and I asked him to trust me and stay with the Gu family on behalf of me as a part of an act for the media."
"But Lingtian and Gu Lingsha didn't stay through the full duration, did they?" Zhou Zimo roughly remembered the past.
"Nope, in fact, things were peaceful in the first two months, but I don't know why Gu Lingsha insisted that Lingtian bring her back to the Mu residence to see me. Gu Qiwu approached my grandfather several times for me to marry Gu Lingsha immediately. I noticed there was something up with the Hui Gu Corporation and Qi Kai. Gu Qiwu might've been trying to put Gu Lingsha beside me as a spy. In turn, I agreed to marry Gu Lingsha so that I could get her under control and prevent her from doing anything behind my back. Apart from that, I could find out what they were up to through Gu Lingsha."
"So, Gu Qiwu was desperate for Gu Lingsha to marry you for two reasons. Firstly because of the project with Qi Qiming, and secondly, to get help from Glory World to help him get past the financial crisis?" Zhou Zimo was surprised.
"It's just a hypothesis. Gu Qiwu can be quite cunning. He's much more difficult to deal with when compared to Qi Qiming."
"What happened afterward? Why did Gu Lingsha elope with Qi Feng? What about Lingtian? Why did they do all that?"
"I don't know. I'm dying to know the answers more than anybody else." Mu Yuchen crossed his arms behind his head. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door just when he was about to continue talking.
"Come in."
Zhou Zimo glanced at Mu Yuchen before looking at the door.
Li Si quickly came in with an invitation card in his hands. "Master!"
He stopped beside Mu Yuchen. "Gu Qiwu sent an invitation card over just now. He's invited you to have dinner at the Hua Tian Hotel tonight. Look at this."
Zhou Zimo raised his eyebrows in shock. "How did Gu Qiwu know you're in City B? And he even found out where you're staying? Moreover, he's inviting you to dinner all of a sudden! From my impression, he seems to be..." He trailed off in thought.
Mu Yuchen took the invitation card and looked at it, smiling wryly before gazing up at the sky. "Great. I don't have to visit him. Tell him to reschedule it for afternoon tea today in the coffee shop opposite. We'll be heading back to City Z by 3.30p.m. and we'll leave things here to Ah Bao. Get Ah Bao over here. I have some orders for him."
"Yes, Master!"
Within an hour after Li Si rescheduled, Gu Qiwu's secretary called him to inform him that Gu Qiwu had already arrived.
Mu Yuchen went to the said coffee shop alone. The shop was totally empty as the whole place was booked. Mu Yuchen instantly saw him in the corner the moment he walked inside.
He wore a black suit and a pair of dark sunglasses while flipping through a newspaper. Although he gave off a quiet vibe, it was impossible to ignore his existence.
Similarly, Mu Yuchen could sense something deep within this man before him.
Gu Qiwu lowered his sunglasses slightly when he noticed Mu Yuchen had arrived. He gave Mu Yuchen a sharp glance before pushing his sunglasses back up and pointing at the seat opposite him. Coldly, he said, "It's been six years. Long time no see, Ah Chen."
"Long time no see, Uncle Gu." Mu Yuchen sat down calmly, not losing out to Gu Qiwu at all in terms of aura.
The waiter soon came over with coffee and snacks.
Gu Qiwu put the newspaper aside as he looked at Mu Yuchen quietly. "I thought you wouldn't come."
"It'd be rude of me to turn down your warm invitation." Mu Yuchen looked right into Gu Qiwu's eyes.
Gu Qiwu returned the gaze with a slight smile. "It seems like I've underestimated you. I should've visited you since Shasha's incident, but I didn't want to cause any trouble for you. Do you know why?"
"Don't tell me it's because you're considerate about the relationship between our families. I'm afraid that it doesn't exist anymore in our generation. I'm sure you know that better than anyone else. Moreover, I feel that I should be the one to ask for an explanation from the Gu family. What do you think?" Mu Yuchen gave Gu Qiwu a cold smile as well.
"Explanation? You can't blame us for that. You broke the rules first by cheating."
"Why are you the one who makes the rules? Did you invite me out just to talk about the past?" Mu Yuchen's tone turned solemn as he looked at Gu Qiwu intently.
Gu Qiwu chuckled. "What else do you think it might be? I only returned to City B this morning, and I saw that my wife got a pen from the auction yesterday. Shasha told me that it belongs to Lingtian. I'm sure that you're in City B since that pen appeared at the auction. It's been a really long time since we last saw each other, so I just wanted to meet up with you."
"30 years ago, the Hui Gu Corporation heavily invested in Xiang She Residences in the north of City B, didn't it?" Mu Yuchen did not reply and asked him a question instead.
Pausing for a moment, Gu Qiwu took off his sunglasses and looked at Mu Yuchen in surprise.
Mu Yuchen could easily detect the shock in Gu Qiwu's eyes, yet he obviously did not miss the hint of bitter disdain in his expression either.
Gu Qiwu nonchalantly set his sunglasses on the newspapers beside him and looked up at Mu Yuchen and nodded without denying it. "That's right. That was one of the estates the Hui Gu Corporation invested in, but now the government has already withdrawn it to build a new residential area and office buildings."
"I know. I went there to check on it this morning. My aunt used to have a place in the Xiang She residences. Did you know about that?" Mu Yuchen continued to ask.
"Your aunt? Mu Zi?" Gu Qiwu chuckled with a lukewarm attitude while he leaned back against the chair with a wry smile on his face. "Would you know every single person you sold a product to?"
"In the same respect, do you think I would know?"
The light in Gu Qiwu's eyes seemed to mock Mu Yuchen as he held up his coffee for a drink. He lowered his head and said, "Do you think I don't know that your people were in front of the Gu residence for the whole night? Can you explain what exactly you're trying to do? Why did you visit this time?"
"I want to see if you were home, Uncle Gu. I heard that you're quite hard to meet. Coincidentally, there was something I wanted to understand from you. Are you satisfied with this explanation?" Mu Yuchen lowered his body slightly to explain. Then, he straightened up and appeared relaxed and elegant.
"Mu Yuchen, you should know that I'm the kind of person who hates others playing dumb with me. Six years ago, when Shasha made her escape, she was wrong, but you gave orders to chase after them. In turn, you caused the tragedy to happen. That's a fact, so I hope that you can fix your attitude a little."
"My attitude has always been very proper. It was you lot who wanted to cause trouble. My aunt seemed to have been quite good friends with you in the past. Would you not have known that she bought an expensive place in a residential area you invested in? If you were me, would you believe that?"
"It's up to you whether you'd like to believe me or not. Mu Yuchen, since Mu Zi has passed away for many years now, the fact that you're raising this again right now is suspicious. Today, I've come to meet you just to let you know that you'd better exercise restraint. City B is not City Z. This is my turf. Knowing too much about some things might not necessarily be a good thing unless you'd like to give up on your peaceful days to come."
Gu Qiwu slowly stood up and took the sunglasses from the side to put on as he said, "I already know about your collaboration with Qi Lei. Not bad, Mu Yuchen, you have a right to challenge me," he said this before walking to the door.
"Mr. Wen?"
At this moment, Mu Yuchen suddenly called out to Gu Qiwu's back, yet the man did not seem to hear him and just walked out of the door.
Mu Yuchen watched Gu Qiwu slowly vanish out of the door. After a long while, a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
On their flight back to City Z, Zhou Zimo examined Mu Yuchen who fell silent for a long while, finally he could not help but ask, "What did Gu Qiwu say to you? Why do I feel like you're behaving a little fishy right now?"
Mu Yuchen took a deep breath, and could not help but massage the tired space between his brows as he said calmly, "He knows that I ordered people to trail and investigate him. While he didn't say anything, I feel like he was testing me."
"Testing you?" Zhou Zimo frowned in confusion. "Why would you say that? Testing you about what?"
"I can't be sure. Gu Qiwu's a very unfathomable person, so it won't be easy for me to guess what he's thinking. I have no idea what he's trying to do. I asked him about Xiang She Residences, but he acted all nonchalant, so I can't be sure of his true feelings. I can't see through him," Mu Yuchen said, as he closed his eyes.
"No wonder you looked defeated, but you don't have to worry too much. As long as there are some clues, we can continue investigating, so don't worry. The only thing I'm confused about is why Doris wanted to chase after that person who bid for that pen too. Was their aim also that pen? Or was it just a pure coincidence?"
"There are not that many coincidences in this world. If we want to clarify these things, we'll have to first find out that person's identity, and which side of the power they're representing, but right now we can find a breakthrough from Doris's end. This time, at the auction, I could vaguely sense something unusual. At the auction, Doris and Gu Lingsha seemed to only bid for that pen. They didn't bid for anything else after that, so I came up with a hypothesis. Could this mother-daughter pair have come just for the pen, while also knowing that the person who'd compete with them would definitely come? This could also explain why the moment that man left the auction since they would immediately chase him too."
Mu Yuchen began to piece things together as he squinted his profound eyes and began to analyze the facts with Zhou Zimo.
"If that's the case, then Gu Lingsha probably didn't bid for that pen for Lingtian's sake. It should've been for something else, or maybe they know a story behind the pen. That's why they didn't spare the cost just to get that pen."
"Perhaps the person I should've met was Doris and not Gu Qiwu."
"Forget it. Let's not alert the enemy first. Let Ah Bao continue to lurk around. I'm sure we'll soon be able to find out the ins and outs of those people."
With a nod, Mu Yuchen felt his heart become a little heavy as he began to have a bad feeling, but he hoped that all of this was just wild speculation.
"We'll have to wait for Ah Bao to find out more about that person, but I believe that it won't take too long."
He stopped thinking about it before turning to look out the window to watch the coiled clouds that filled the sky. Suddenly, his mind flashed with Xi Xiaye's beautiful and elegant little face.
At this moment, in Xi Xiaye's ward in Hospital T, Su Nan came over to visit.
"I thought that I'd have a son, and offer him to your daughter, but who would've thought that it would flip the other way around? But, seriously, he's got excellent genes. It's only been a few days, and I can vaguely see that your son's a copy of Mu Yuchen. With those eyes, that mouth, and that nose, they look so similar. Don't you think so? Even Chief Zhuang said that the baby looks exactly like Mu Yuchen when he was younger. In another 20 years, he'll be another excellent and dashing gentleman. Sigh, Xiaye, can you reserve him for our Xiao Xi?"