Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was close to noon and Qi Lei was still sleeping soundly.
Qi Lei had drunk quite a bit last night. Worried, Yang Sheng stayed the night to watch over him at the Grand Lakes Villa area and he fell asleep on Qi Lei's sofa in the living room. When he woke up early in the morning, he made Qi Lei a light breakfast in the form of some porridge with a few simple side dishes.
It was a hot day. Before noon, the sun was already scorching outside.
Upon seeing that Qi Lei's fridge was empty, Yang Sheng tidied the house briefly before he planned to go out and buy some food and everyday items, yet before he could walk to the door, the doorbell suddenly buzzed.
Yang Sheng turned to look at the screen to realize that the person standing outside was Li Si. Then, he quickly opened the door. He had just opened the door when Yang Sheng looked at Li Si in puzzlement and asked, "Why are you here?"
Li Si shrugged as he handed a big bag of items to Yang Sheng. "Here, this is for you! Earlier, Missus was shopping at the supermarket, so she decided to get some for him too. She told me to bring it over. Take it!"
Yang Sheng subconsciously reached out to take the bag. Peering down, he realized that the shopping bag was filled with nutritious ingredients and some healthy snacks. He was stunned by the gesture. "How did your Missus know that our Master Qi was running out of food at home?"
"No one knows whether Master Qi has food at home or not. Missus just thought that she bought too much, so she decided to give him some and got me to bring it over. Right, how's Master Qi? He must've drunk a lot last night, didn't he?" Li Si took a peek inside and asked.
Yang Sheng turned to his side and indicated for Li Si to go in as he responded, "He's still asleep. When we left the Entertainment City, he was fine. it was when he was getting down from the car as we reached home that he threw up a lot, and suffered through the night. Want to come in?"
"It's fine, I won't. I was just asking. Take good care of him. if you get any news later on, or if there's something odd about him, just give our Master or Missus a call. I'll leave now. take good care of yourself!" Li Si did not stay longer and he turned around to leave.
When he saw Li Si's figure vanishing out of the doorway, Yang sheng closed the door slowly.
"Who came over?"
Yang Sheng had just returned to the living room when he saw Qi Lei walking unhurriedly down the stairs in his dark blue pajamas. He had a large towel in hand to dry his damp hair.
"Master Qi, you're awake!"
Yang Sheng quickly walked over and considered the large bag in his hand before he smiled and said, "Li Si sent these. He said that Director Xi got them for you. Quickly have some food. I know that you were quite drunk last night, so I specially made you some light porridge. Have some."
"Li Si? Xiaye?"
Qi Lei was surprised as he slung the towel over his shoulder, raising his handsome brows. "Why does it look as if she were keeping a pretty boy? Do you think I have the potential to be a pretty boy lover?"
As Qi Lei said that, he walked up to Yang Sheng and peeked into the huge bag. Then, his handsome face flashed with a smile. "Not bad. It's all the good stuff that suits my taste. Quickly bring it to the kitchen," he seemed to say a little happily as he walked to sit at the dining table where the breakfast that Yang Sheng prepared was already served.
"Got it, Master Qi!"
When Yang Sheng saw that Qi Lei was in a pretty good mood, he was relieved. He continued to respond to Qi Lei's words, "Master Qi, if we were to talk about pretty boys, you, of course, aren't inferior to anyone else. Everyone in the circle says you've got charisma, the looks, and especially that the consideration. Weren't there two popular female artistes who fought over you a few days ago? This goes to show that you have pretty good value!"
"That's true, but can we not use those vulgar people to praise me?" Qi Lei leisurely ate the porridge and said.
Yang Sheng could not help but force a smile. Actually, Master Qi's standards were quite high. All these years in the circle, he walked past many beauties and did not feel charmed. He had never seen him fancy any woman either. Every time he probed him, Qi Lei would just use the words 'vulgar people' to describe those women.
He wondered what kind of woman would Master Qi like. Could it really only be a woman like Director Xi?
But that was Master Mu's wife!
Most importantly, the husband and wife were very loving and had a kind of eternal harmony, so Master Qi would not stand a chance at all!
At this moment, by the roadside not too far away from the entrance of the Grand Waves Villa area, inside a black Phaeton parked by the roadside.
In the backseat, Mu Yuchen was typing away on the laptop on his lap as he very skillfully and quickly keyed in a bunch of words. The screen immediately produced a series of data. The blue light reflecting from the screen made his handsome face reveal even more hints of coldness.
Just as he was quite focused, the front car door opened. Li Si slid in all sweaty as he fanned himself with a magazine. He reported respectfully to the person behind him, "Master, I've sent it over. He hasn't woken up yet. From how Yang Sheng seems, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha probably haven't come over yet, and Qi Lei probably doesn't know about Qi Qiming either."
After Li Si finished, Mu Yuchen did not quite react, yet Li Si did not continue. He knew that when his Master was working, he did not like to be disrupted.
The chauffeur in front did not start the car either as he waited for Mu Yuchen's orders.
A while passed before Mu Yuchen eventually stopped typing away on the keyboard. His raspy voice then said, "Let's get going."
"Yes, Master!"
With that single order, the car started.
The car had driven for quite a distance when the ever wary and vigilant chauffeur spoke up from the front, "Master, that car behind seems to have been trailing us ever since we left the office."
When he said that, Mu Yuchen slowly closed his laptop and looked in the rearview mirror ahead with profound eyes. His calm lips immediately flashed with a smile. "Li Si, guess who's in the car behind us."
Gazing into the rearview mirror, Li Si's expression was slightly solemn. "Could it be Gu Qiwu? Didn't Gu Qiwu get people to spy on Miss Lingshi before this? What's he trying to do!?"
Li Si subconsciously turned to look at Mu Yuchen who sat in the backseat with a calm expression. He studied the cold light in his eyes and only saw something unfathomable. Clearly, the man had an answer. He hesitated before asking softly, "Otherwise, who do you think it is?"
"Why would Gu Qiwu send someone to follow me?" Mu Yuchen responded calmly, then he turned to look out of the car window, "Go to the Shen residence."
"Got it, Master!"
Earlier, Xi Xiaye had called. They had planned to go to the Shen residence for lunch together since Shen Wenna and Xi Mushan were going home as it was the end of the month. In fact, it was the weekend tomorrow, so it was a good time to bring Mi Zirui back to Maple Residence too.
The car had just stopped in front of the Shen residence when he could already see the familiar Porsche parked there. When Xi Xiaye drove herself, she preferred this model. There were quite a few cars in the garage, yet she drove this one the most frequently.
Li Si got down the car to open the door for Mu Yuchen as he smiled and said, "Master, it's Missus's car. She's faster than us!"
"Tidy things a little and bring everything down." Mu Yuchen swiftly got down from the car and walked into the Shen residence himself.
Inside the Shen residence living room, Shen Yue was sitting leisurely on the sofa and reading the newspaper while Xi Xiaye was brewing tea for him on the side. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were busy in the kitchen whereas Mi Zirui was sitting by the window and doing his homework at a little desk.
Mu Yuchen did not disturb them and just stood there at the door for quite a while. He took a look around before treading gently towards Mu Zirui.
Mu Zirui was fully focused on his homework at the moment. When he suddenly felt someone getting close to him, and the shadow blocked parts of the light pouring in, he subconsciously turned to look and realized that beside him, Mu Yuchen was peering at his homework.
"Father!" Mu Zirui's tender little face quickly flashed with a cute smile.
"The Duke of Pei's army troops ruled by force. They had not met with Xiang Yu, the Duke of Pei's radical Minister of War. Cao Wushang sent a messenger to Xiang Yu, saying..." Mu Yuchen's deep and sensitive voice muttered as a flash of gentleness crossed his handsome face. "Son, I remember that this essay should be for senior high school, shouldn't it? Are you already taking a look at your high school syllabus?"
Mu Zirui smiled a little shyly, then scratched his head. "No! I just went to the high school block the other day, and I heard the seniors read this essay which I thought was interesting, so I checked it out and found out that this was where the famous 'Feast at Hongmen' term came from."
"Do you like history?" Mu Yuchen looked at his eldest son in surprise.
Mu Zirui held his chin with one hand, thought about it, then gently nodded. "I guess so., Father, I heard Grandmother mention that you were with the military special forces. Father, when I'm older, can I be like you?"
"You want to be a military personnel?"
"Mmm, I really like watching those war battles on TV. Oh, right, Father, I like Genghis Khan!"
"How about you give some examples of the more famous battles?" Mu Yuchen chatted with Mu Zirui, clearly interested now. He sat down on the sofa beside his son and looked meaningfully at him.
With a smile, Mu Zirui gently set his pencil aside and smiled to say, "Then, I'll talk about how the Mongolian troops defeated the Jin and Song Dynasties."
"Mm-hmm?" Mu Yuchen raised his handsome brows and looked at Mu Zirui, full of interest. "Tell me about it."
"Father, don't you think Genghis Khan is amazing? With superhuman wisdom and drive, he used the feud between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, borrowing the Song territory, implementing a roundabout strategy..."
When Mu Zirui gushed about this, Mu Yuchen immediately chuckled gladly. He patted Mu Zirui's head lovingly, his eyes containing the faint warmth of a father's love. "You know about the roundabout strategy too? Who taught you that?"
"I saw it from a book. I even started watching documentaries, and then I pondered about them myself. Oh, Father, I don't know how to read these few words."
"Mmm? Let me take a look..."
Mu Yuchen closed in and looked at the book. Then, he said, "That's wei, and jiong ran's jiong. If you don't know a lot of new words, just try to guess what it means from the structure of the words. Didn't your teacher teach you this?
"If you want to join the military and be a general, you can't just understand these theories. You need a strong physique. If you don't eat more and try to grow taller, you won't have a healthy body. Men need to be stronger. That way, you can make people have a better sense of security, especially when..."
"Oh, Father, I got it! Especially my future girlfriend, isn't it? Mother says you've always been that way, Father," Mu Zirui spoke as he carefully glimpsed at Mu Yuchen.
"Always been that way meaning which way? Has your mother been talking bad about me to you?" Mu Yuchen squinted and glanced at Mu Zirui as he said.
Mu Zirui quickly shook his head. "Of course not, because she also said the same as you. I told her about Ah Hua from the class next door, then we talked about you, but Mother says I'm still young, so she won't let me date."
When he heard that, Mu Yuchen could not help but laugh. He ruffled Mu Zirui's head again. "Little one, don't be too good. Your mother and I won't go against you dating, but this needs a principle and two basis points."
"What are the one principle and two basis points?" Mu Zirui blinked his dark and bright eyes at Mu Yuchen.
Mu Yuchen thought about it and directly passed on what Mu Tangchuan had said to him back then, "The principle is strict self-discipline. Be responsible and date with marriage in mind. The first basis is that if you're successful professionally, you can take charge of yourself. The second basis is that you can't embarrass your mother and me, got it?"
"Is this a family precept? What do you mean by one principle and two basis points?! Xiao Rui, don't listen to your father. Right now, your main duty is to study well and get good results for every exam as well as be a good role model for your younger brother."
The father and son's conversation was half-heard by Xi Xiaye who had walked over. She was rolling her eyes at Mu Yuchen.
Was this how he taught their son?
He was still so young and he was already teaching him to date? And he said that he would not be against it? Of course, she would be against it! Even though it was not good to just straight up object it, at least, they had to let Mu Zirui be aware of the seriousness of dating at such a young age!
Upon hearing Xi Xiaye's voice, Mu Zirui lifted his little head and his eyes moved back and forth between Xi Xiaye and Mu Yuchen. After that, he lowered his head slightly under both their gazes, then turned away to clear his throat before muttering in response, "Oh...I got it, Mother..."
Xi Xiaye patted Mu Zirui's shoulder. "That's great. You're still young, so learning and studying is your top priority right now. You can apply to a military school if you want to become a soldier, and you can fulfill my wish that I couldn't accomplish in the past."
"Don't worry, Mother, I'll become a general and bring you out in a tank-the kind with anti-air guns that can shoot down planes!" Mu Zirui smiled.
"I'll wait for that day then. Alright, clean up here and get ready to eat. Xiao Rui, remember to put your artboards together. I'll send you to school later."
"Don't be a bad influence on my son!" Xi Xiaye knocked Mu Yuchen's head.
Mu Yuchen smiled and gave her an innocent glance. He then looked over at Mu Zirui, just shrugging helplessly. They were indeed father and son after all.
"Mother, Father was teaching me to be a good man!" Mu Zirui explained.
"To be a good man?" Xi Xiaye looked at Mu Zirui and smiled. "My son, you're still a long way from being a man. You're just a little boy right now! Clean up your things and eat. Remember to bring your homework as well. Take it back to Maple Residence tonight."
"Yes, Mother!" Mu Zirui scratched his head and glanced at Mu Yuchen before packing up his bag.
Mu Yuchen helped him out as he glanced through his homework. "Remember to write while sitting in an upright position. Don't be like a little girl."
Mu Zirui straightened his back instantly. "I'll remember that, Father! Father, there's a parent-teacher meeting on the 10th of next month."
"The 10th? Have you gotten used to your new school?"
They had agreed to Mu Zirui's request, hence he skipped grades and was in primary school year 1 at the moment. They had plans to let him attend year 2 right away, but Xi Xiaye was worried that he might not have a solid foundation of knowledge, so he spent the last few months in year 1 classes. Anyway, they were going to take the exams to enter year 2 soon.
"Yep, the teachers are nice to me, and the students are willing to include me as well. However, can you please tell my teacher that I don't want to sit with girls? I want to sit alone."
"What's wrong with sitting beside a girl?"
"I don't like it...Actually, girls can be pretty annoying, except Mother."
"You little brat!" Mu Yuchen patted Mu Zirui's head. "Ask your mother to tell your teacher then."
"Okay..."
Xi Xiaye started packing stuff for Mu Zirui after lunch. Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna were staying at home during the break though they planned to make a trip to Europe with Shen Yue.
"Father, Mother, Mu Yuchen said France is pretty nice and Paris is known to be the country of romance. You guys can walk around there and even take a tour around Europe. He'll arrange a tour guide for you. You can go wherever you want and enjoy your two-month break," Xi Xiaye spoke as she cleaned Mu Zirui's hands.
Mu Yuchen was sitting on the sofa. He glanced at Xi Xiaye but did not say anything.
"We haven't decided where to go yet. It's a long period of time and I think it's great to relax, but are you sure you can handle the company well without me?" Shen Yue asked. He had a lot of free time recently and seemed much more energetic than before.
"Don't worry. I have Uncle Lan with me, and I've pretty much gotten used to how things work."
"Okay, your grandma always bugged me to bring her abroad when she was still around, but I was unable to fulfill the promise. It's about time I do so." Shen Yue looked a little sad as he mentioned it. "Alright, I'll go back to my room and rest." He got up from the sofa and left.
Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and looked at Mu Yuchen who gave her a pat on her shoulder.
"Your grandpa started missing your grandma more ever since he has more free time on his hands. He was staring at her photo this morning when I went to wake him up. I guess getting old can make someone miss the past more easily," Shen Wenna explained when she noticed Xi Xiaye's glum expression.
Xi Xiaye nodded. "I understand. Father, Mother, please move back here if possible. When I see the house being empty, I feel a little...Anyway, I'll be sending Xiao Rui to school now. You should be getting to your office too!"
Without finishing what she wanted to say, she grabbed Mu Zirui's bag as she signaled Mu Yuchen. He quickly got up, and they left the Shen residence after a brief farewell with Xi Mushan and Shen Wenna.
"I guess the children have a lot on their plate." Shen Wenna sighed as she looked at the car going further away.
"Everyone has their own share of problems. Well, so long as they have a fulfilling life, it's alright. It's the afternoon. Let's go out for a walk," Xi Mushan said to Shen Wenna.
Shen Wenna looked at the green shade as she felt the wind brushing against her face. She nodded and walked forward.
Mu Zirui was attending a primary school in City S where he started off as a primary year 1 student.
Xi Xiaye drove near the school with Mu Zirui was sitting in the front passenger seat. She was giving him all kinds of reminders.
"Xiao Rui, I checked your homework just now. I don't really encourage you to learn advanced knowledge now. The words that you circled are the words you don't know, aren't they? There is an order for learning, do you understand?"
"I understand that I shouldn't wish to take the easy way out, but you've repeated this, like five times already!"
"Did I really? I think it's just two times. I just want you to remember what I said."