Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Mu Yuchen stood right behind her in a casual suit with his noble and handsome face. As he just stayed there, lots of heads turned, but his eyes were fixed on the little woman before him.
Xi Xiaye obviously knew about his charms. Her clear eyes glanced around and she even saw some young girls secretly taking pictures of him. She pursed her lips and glanced at him. Forgetting about holding back, she just reached out to hold his hand and walked out.
"Let's go home. Grandmother and the rest are waiting!"
He lowered his head to look at their interlocked hands as a faint ripple flashed across his handsome face and he let her pull him away.
Her hands were almost healed, but in his grasp, he could still feel the uneven coarseness of her wounds. Her forehead still showed that bit of new, puckered skin though the scars were not very deep.
Xi Xiaye drove all the way back to the old Mu residence. Her driving skills were still as impressive as before, and she liked driving fast. Since he rarely had time to relax, he leaned back against the chair to close his eyes and rest.
"Hey, Mr. Mu, Li Si said that you went to meet with Qi Lei again yesterday. He seemed like he was hiding something from me. What do you think about Qi Lei? I'm referring to his style and aura. Does it dazzle you?" Xi Xiaye finally spoke up to break this rare silence.
"What are you trying to say?" Master Mu did not even open his eyes as he softly responded.
"Last week, you had dinner with Qi Lei for three nights. Weren't you planning on explaining it to me? In fact, you had some supermodel as company too. I've been patient for a long time now. I'm telling you, I think that you've been worsening recently. You never used to indulge in such pleasures." Xi Xiaye's brows were furrowed into a knot.
"What nonsense are you thinking about? There's just been quite a number of things that I needed to discuss with him."
"Do you have to discuss work matters at such places? Are you not being honest with me?" Xi Xiaye cast a glance of doubt at him. Upon seeing that he was unfazed, she could not help but glare at him. "Recently, there's been some news about you and Qi Lei going around about, you know. You better watch out for yourself!"
"What do you mean by 'you know'? Didn't this scandal exist a long time ago?" At this moment, Mu Yuchen squinted at her. He said helplessly, "Okay, stop trying to get things out of me. Qi Lei just wanted to cover himself. He's been doing quite well at Qi Kai, having returned to his life as the Second Master and his old character, so I'm just playing along."
"Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha have been busy preparing for the wedding, so they don't have time to care much. I'm hoping that he'll use this chance to steady his ground. Right, about the materials from Hua Heng, I've already closed the deal with CEO Hua. He's agreed to give us the materials, but we need to go along with the prices that Qi Kai was previously set on," she said.
"Mmm, right now we need to cooperate to fight for more time for Qi Lei and get them to pay attention to us. Of course, when it's all done on Qi Lei's end, he'd better be smart. He's taken such huge advantage of us, so he better repay you properly. You're a woman, and that guy's always been very kind to women."
When Xi Xiaye heard that, she immediately rolled her eyes at him. She almost forgot that this fellow had always been a true blue profiteer!
"Sure, I'll get him to get me great care!" When Xi Xiaye said this, Mu Yuchen's expression immediately darkened. A dangerous light gleamed in his dark eyes.
"Great care? I'll show you what great care really means when we get home tonight. It'll be a five-star service!" Then, he shot her an unhappy glare.
Xi Xiaye laughed till her stomach hurt. She could not help but slow down the car.
It was Friday. Mu Tangchuan and Zhuang Shurong were on break, so the whole family had not gathered together for a long while now. Because of that, Mu Yinan called all the children home for dinner.
Xi Xiaye had prepared quite a number of tonics for Mu Lingshi but had not had the time to personally bring them over, so now she could pass them to her.
Mu Lingshi had undergone quite a shocking reaction. In a short period, she had slimmed down just like when Xi Xiaye was pregnant with Mu Xiaocheng. Ah Mo was terribly worried, so he called Dr. Zhong over every few days.
Right now, it was dinner time. Xi Xiaye brought up some appetizers for her. Mu Lingshi just had two bites when she could not help but rush to the bathroom. Xi Xiaye quickly set aside her chopsticks and followed after her.
Ah Mo wanted to get up and follow her, but Mu Yuchen stopped him.
Master Mu had some experience in this, so he advised Ah Mo, "She's got Grandmother and your sis-in-law. It'll be like this all the time for now, but don't be too worried."
Ah Mo then held back the anxiety in his heart and turned to look at Mu Yuchen who was idly flipping through the newspaper. He breathed steadily and then calmed down.
"Bro, there's news from Ah Bao!"
"Hmm?" Mu Yuchen responded calmly while his gaze remained on the newspaper before him.
"Gu Qiwu made a trip back to City B a few days ago, but his butler here seemed to have prepared quite a lot of things for Doris. With quite a lot of clothes and shoes being bought, it looks like Doris might be returning very soon."
When Ah Mo finished, Mu Yuchen paused as he thought about it, then asked, "That's not weird. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha are getting married next month. As much as she can hold back, it's probably time for her to show up."
"Lingshi also met Gu Qiwu a few days ago. She..."
"I know about this. What you're worried about is the same concern I have." Now, Mu Yuchen's brows knitted together as he slowly shut the newspaper in his hand. "Looks like I need to ask Gu Qiwu out for a chat," he said in a deep tone.
"Ask Gu Qiwu out? Will it work? Bro, what else can you say to him?" Ah Mo frowned a little worriedly as he lowered his voice to ask.
"I want to try and confirm his attitude. I'm being kind by helping Lingshi give him a chance. If he doesn't want it, then there's no need to blame me for being cruel." Mu Yuchen's calm voice was colored with hostility. When he said this, a sharp light flickered in his eyes.
"Bro, Lingshi doesn't care about those things."
"She doesn't care, but that doesn't mean the Mu family doesn't. It doesn't mean that those who have left us don't care either," Mu Yuchen answered coldly.
Ah Mo expression's clouded over slightly. He fell silent for a moment and then nodded.
"Brother, you've considered this thoroughly. No matter what angle we look at this matter from, we're in a position of being thrown around, so..." he said in his deep voice while worry flashed in his eyes.
"Alright, no need to feel too stressed out. I'll resolve what needs to be resolved. You just have to be responsible for your own safety. Leave the rest to me." Mu Yuchen's voice had a hint of consolation that made Ah Mo's tensed chest ease slightly.
Ah Mo thought about it, then lowered his voice to ask, "Bro, do we want to get people to watch Gu Qiwu and secretly observe Doris's movements?"
"Just go with the original orders. I did get some news from Ah Bao about you," Mu Yuchen said, then his deep eyes looked up at Ah Mo, and a thought-provoking smile widened on his face.
"About me?" Shocked, Ah Mo tilted his head in puzzlement. "Why is it about me?"
Mu Yuchen held up his tea and took a short sip of it, then smiled faintly. "Gu Qiwu's people were investigating you. They've probably collected some materials by now. No matter what his aim is, I'm sure he's vigilant against you."
Ah Mo's expression changed. He pondered for a bit and responded, "What did he want to find out?"
"He might not necessarily have wanted to find out anything. Perhaps it's just because of Lingshi, so it's best if you're more alert as well since he might just meet you at any time."
Ah Mo's expression shifted. Shortly after that, he answered, "I got it, Brother!"
...
When the family was done with dinner, they sat around for a bit before Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence because they were worried, so they made Mu Lingshi stay at the old Mu residence while Ah Mo returned to the villa by himself.
However, at that moment, what Mu Yuchen predicted earlier quickly came true.
Ah Mo was driving alone. Although he was a skilled driver, the old Mu residence was still quite far from his place, so he sped along the way. The suburbs late at night were extremely quiet, the streetlights were a little dull. From time to time, you could see a car or two speeding past.
He had just driven out of the byway and was about to accelerate ahead when suddenly there was a piercing light from in front. Subconsciously, he squinted and used his hand to block the strong light. Instinctively, he stepped on the brake!
Screech!
The squeal of urgent braking cut through the night. When Ah Mo stopped, the car in front stopped too. It was only less than 30 centimeters away from him!
Immediately, his vision adapted to the strong light. He was tense as he stared ahead vigilantly.
Someone got down from the car in front quickly. He was tall and lofty, and by the looks of it, he seemed like a very skilled bodyguard. He took a few huge steps to the side of Ah Mo's car as Ah Mo glared at him.
"Are you Mu Lingmo?" the man in black softly asked through the window.
A sharp, cold light flashed in Ah Mo's dark eyes as he fixed his gaze on the man. "Who are you? What are you trying to do?"
The man bowed slightly. "Mr. Ah Mo, our boss is asking for you. Please come with us."
Ah Mo scowled, but he answered very calmly, "Who's your boss? I don't know you people. Do you think I'll just go with you? Tell your people to move away."
"We've long heard about you on the streets, but please don't worry. Our boss doesn't have ill intentions. He just wants to talk. In fact, I think you'll be quite interested in him too. When you see him, you'll know who he is."
These words suddenly made Ah Mo recall what Mu Yuchen told him at the old Mu residence. Could it be Gu Qiwu? A light flickered in his eyes as he thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, it looks like no matter what, I'd have to go with you lot this time!"
Another car came from ahead and blocked Ah Mo's way too, so it seemed like he had no choice. If it really was Gu Qiwu, then he was interested to take a look. Perhaps he could even obtain some sort of useful information.
"Mr. Ah Mo, you are a frank person indeed! Well, then, let's go!" said the man before walking around the car, and pulling the door to the front passenger seat open.
The air in the car seemed to suddenly drop in pressure, and there was another layer of stifling air in the narrow space. Nevertheless, Ah Mo started his car quickly and followed the man's directions. Soon, they reached a private luxury clubhouse in the suburbs.
He followed the man in. They reached a private room where his guide stopped and nodded at the two bodyguards in black at the door. One of them then knocked and opened the door.
"Our boss would like you to enter first. This way."
Ah Mo's dark eyes swiftly looked at the two of them. He was about to enter when one of them suddenly came up and wanted to frisk him. However, he refrained from doing so when he saw Ah Mo's warning gaze.
"Mr. Ah Mo, this is just our routine..."
"Let him come in!" Before the man could answer, a deep voice had already boomed from inside.
"Yes, Boss!"
Then, as the man silently left, Ah Mo walked in.
The private room was huge. As soon as he entered, he could see Gu Qiwu in the chair, looking through a document. He seemed to have been waiting for Ah Mo for quite a while now.
When Ah Mo stopped in front of Gu Qiwu, his sharp eyes quickly examined him with a sinister gaze. Naturally, he knew this was Gu Qiwu. In fact, he knew him quite well too. Even though they had not met all these years, when he was by Mu Yinan's side, he did have some interactions with the man.
Gu Qiwu was an extremely sophisticated person and was hard to read. Whether it was Mu Yinan or Mu Yuchen, they both did not have many dealings with Gu Qiwu, but they never would have guessed that the person they had been looking for, the man that Mu Zi had been trying so hard to keep a secret about, was Mu Lingtian and Mu Lingshi's biological father who was sitting right in front of Ah Mo!