Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ah Yong, who had been standing beside her, saw Gu Lingsha's gloomy's expression. He thought about it before deciding to lower his voice and speak up, "Miss Lingsha, go home first. I'm here. The boss probably won't wake up so soon, and the Madam still needs you to care for her, so you should take care of yourself."
Gu Lingsha sighed as she took a look at Gu Qiwu on the sickbed, then she nodded at Ah Yong. "I'll leave Father to you then. When he wakes up, call me right away!"
Gu Lingsha could not care less now. Knowing that Gu Qiwu was alright for now made her relieved, but her mind kept replaying the things that he had said to her earlier. Right then, there was a burning pain at her neck. Earlier, when she had gone to the washroom, she noticed that there were bruises on her neck!
Gu Qiwu had always been a person with strong self-restraint, and Gu Lingsha had never seen him this angry before. You could tell that the incident this time had had quite an impact on him. However, how could her mother, Doris, someone whom she had always thought was elegant and appropriate, have done such a thing?
Gu Lingsha had also seen the way Gu Qiwu doted on Doris. She could tell that Gu Qiwu truly loved Doris. If Doris really did it, how could he not have felt bitterly disappointed and angry?
Now that she thought about it, if it were true, she probably would not have been able to bear it too!
She still did not quite want to believe it! She had always admired Gu Qiwu and Doris's relationship. How could she believe such a thing so easily?
Thus, she was impatient to ask Doris about whether it was all true for herself!
Doris's ward was in Hospital T too. In fact, Doris was being grounded by Gu Qiwu right now.
When Gu Lingsha went over, she could see the four bodyguards that stood guard outside the ward, watching it carefully. Gu Qiwu had ordered them not to let Doris step out of the room at all!
However, when Gu Lingsha went over, the bodyguards obviously let her through. As she pushed the door open, what greeted her sight was the empty bed. She looked around, then noticed Doris who was by the window and watching the sunset outside.
Gu Lingsha stopped and watched her silently for a while, before she called out softly, "Mother—"
Upon hearing Gu Lingsha's voice, Doris, who was enjoying the scenery outside, looked back and then lowered her gaze. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you that I don't want to see anyone right now?" Her cold voice showed no hints of warmth at all.
Gu Lingsha struggled for a bit before she said, "Mother, you haven't recovered. Why did you get down from the bed? Let me help you back to bed to rest."
Doris did not answer.
Stunned, Gu Lingsha walked over and stopped by Doris's side. When she looked at her mother's exquisite yet indifferent face, she sighed. "Mother, Father got drunk and was sent to the hospital because of gastrointestinal bleeding. Right now, he's in a ward under observation. He said that you...Was what he said all real?" Gu Lingsha found it hard to ask.
Upon hearing that Gu Qiwu was hospitalized, Doris paused and asked, "What? What did he say about me?"
"Mother, she said that the child you had...wasn't his. Mother, did you cheat on Father?" Gu Lingsha asked softly.
When she heard that, Doris smiled calmly, and then reached out to caress her flat belly, a while after she sneered and said, "What did you think?"
"Mother, I don't believe it! I don't believe that you'd betray Father! Father's so good to you. You wouldn't do something like that, right?" Gu Lingsha frantically pulled at Doris's loose sleeve as she said in a rush.
"Good to me? Betray?"
When Doris heard these words, it was as if she heard a joke. She laughed. "He had two children with Mu Zi behind my back. Is that what you call being good to me? Betray? Isn't what he did a betrayal to me? I'm just giving him a taste of his own medicine! I told him that I'm never weak. When Gu Qiwu married me, he should understand that one day, the person who'd control him would be me! And not him controlling me!" she sneered and turned to look at the miserable Gu Lingsha.
"Do you think he's such a good person? He's good to me on the outside, but he's still vigilant against me in secret. To me, he's just a hypocritical person. Why is he allowed to betray me with such gusto? If Qi Feng did that to you too, could you accept it? Shasha, don't act impulsively. Men can't be trusted. Do you think that Qi Feng will always be good to you just because he is now? Learn from my mistakes. Women should always have a hold on something!" Doris turned to look at Gu Lingsha. Her eyes were as sharp as knives as they flickered with a cold light, one that was cold and penetrating.
"Qi Qiming could not get rid of Wang Qin because she was a smart woman! She knew how to manage authority. Otherwise, Wang Qin wouldn't have stood tall in the Qi family with the way Qi Qiming treated her. Shasha, you've gone through quite a bit of hardship too. You've been wondering about these relationships. Do you still not get it?
"Once Gu Qiwu acknowledges Mu Lingshi, you won't be the only heiress in the Gu family." Doris forced a laughed and averted her gaze apathetically before looking out of the window. The warmth of the setting sun could not chase away the coldness that she emitted.
"You're my daughter. No matter what, I wouldn't hurt you, but you're always disagreeing with me. You missed out on Mu Yuchen, and now you're caught up with someone like Qi Feng. How could you beat Qi Feng? I'm just worried that when the time comes, you were just paving the way for him."
"Mother, whatever happens, Ah Feng is someone who's been through a lot with me, and we're married now. We even have a daughter, Weiwei. Ah Feng wouldn't do that to me. I trust him! You're too paranoid. Father and Mu Zi's incident was many years ago. In fact, Mu Zi's dead! So what if Mu Lingshi's still around? As long as Father doesn't give the green light, she's nothing! Father loves you so much, yet you did such a thing. He must be bitterly disappointed. Otherwise, take advantage of the guilt that Father feels so that he will treat you and us even better! Mother, from the way I see it, you're the confused one! In fact, your actions have made me incredibly disappointed! How could you betray Father?"
Gu Lingsha started to frown as she did not agree with Doris.
"Enough! I don't need you to tell me what to do! Stay out of things between him and me. Just take care of yourself!" Doris's expression instantly darkened and she closed her eyes.
"He was disloyal to me first. Why should I have to stay loyal to him? Guilt? Do you think he'd feel that? Even if he does feel guilty, it's only towards Mu Zi and Mu Lingshi, not us!"
"Shasha, you're too naive! Don't tell me that this is all you learned from studying psychology!"
Seeing Doris like this, Gu Lingsha could not help but raise her voice. Now, she began to feel bad for Gu Qiwu. "Mother! Why are you still acting all justified even now?! Father's going mad from anger. He's breaking down! Can't you feel sorry for him? You know very well how he's treated you all these years!"
"Lingsha, are you here to reprimand me? Why don't you do the same to your father? He did me wrong first!" Doris pulled away the blanket on her and stood up. She glared at Gu Lingsha in an imposing manner. "Isn't the child gone just as the two of you wished? What more do you want? The two of you are quite united, aren't you? What about me? Do I deserve it so I should just suffer in silence?"
She laughed grimly. "Divorce! I already thought of this. Since we've come to this point, it can only end like this."
"What? Divorce?" Gu Lingsha was shocked by Doris's words! She widened her eyes at her mother. "Mother! Do you want to divorce Father?"
"What other ways do you think there could be for this to end peacefully? I've been done for years now. I think that ending it like this is best," Doris said nonchalantly. There was no shift in her blues at all, and they were as calm as water. It was as if the word 'divorce' was just another common term!
Frightened by Doris's words, she held onto her mother and spoke in a panic, "No! Mother, don't be impulsive! As long as you talk to Father, he'll still forgive you! Mother, don't get a divorce with Father. You know that..."
Doris wriggled free of her hold as she snorted coldly. "There's nothing else to discuss at this stage. Do you think that with your father's nature, he would tolerate me? He's just a useless coward to me. He's got a huge ego and is headstrong. Even if he's willing to forgive me, he'll definitely keep bringing it up to use against me. I know him too well. I'll never surrender to a man like this, so divorce is my best option!"
Her eyes were filled with determination. She was not sloppy at all, and there was not a hint of hesitance or reluctance!
"Mother, there's no way Father will get a divorce with you unless you leave the marriage with nothing!"
"No way? I'll make it all possible!"
"Mother! How could you do this to him?"
"How do you think I should be to him then? Divorce is the only way to resolve this. It's also been something that I've always wanted to do. Your father and I aren't compatible. I've long been over it these past few years. Why do you think I've lasted so long?" Doris looked at Gu Lingsha coldly, not hiding her intentions at all.
"I'll get my lawyer to write up the divorce papers as soon as possible. When the time comes, just persuade your father. It's best if he signs it quickly. Of course, I'll still be taking the things that should be mine. By the looks of the current situation, the court might not stand on his side. After all, Mu Lingshi was hard evidence."
A sneer flashed across Doris's lips. Even though this was not exactly what she wanted, they had been married for many years, and she did have some feelings for Gu Qiwu. Nevertheless, Doris had always known what she wanted.
The truth was that Doris had always been like this. She had always been this headstrong and unwilling to surrender to anyone. Having been raised in an environment like that, she always did everything with a clear goal in mind.
Since things had played out the way they did, she could only continue this journey.
In fact, based on the current situation, even if they brought it to the court, she would not be on the losing end. Gu Qiwu would probably need to silently accept this end that cut the knot as smoothly as it was tied.
"Enough, get out!" Doris coldly chased her out. She admitted that she was still a little angry at Gu Lingsha for causing the miscarriage, but that was her daughter after all. Even if she was angry, what could she do?
"Mother..."
"Get out!" Doris said walked to the bedside without any illness showing on her face.
Gu Lingsha's eyes darkened as she watched Doris quietly for a while. In the end, she left. When it came to being apathetic, no one would be better at it than her mother. Gu Lingsha only truly understood it now!
How could she so calmly mention divorce? It seemed like Doris did not have much love left for Gu Qiwu!
When she left the ward, Gu Lingsha could not help but laugh bitterly. She never thought that such a day would come. A family that she had always thought was harmonious had turned into nothing in the blink of an eye. Still, all of this could also have returned to calm!
However, the more you wanted peace, the more some people would wreck it!
How could she just watch helplessly as all this happiness turn into nothing? She barely had anything left. Was she going to lose this too?
Gu Lingsha did not understand why things had to turn out like this.
This time, upon returning, a friend that had once been close, Qi Lei, was slowly becoming distant. Her relationship with her mother was becoming strained too. Besides that, she was now losing even the last piece of kinship...
Mu Zi?
Mu Lingshi?
If all of these had happened because of these people, what should she do?
Was she going to watch all of this end badly without doing anything?
The answer was: no way!
Gu Lingsha leaned against the cold wall. She fell silent for a long, long time before she came back to her senses. Dazed, she suddenly felt her eyes getting misty until a piece of tissue was handed to her before she snapped back.
She quickly looked up and followed the hand that handed her the tissue. Xi Xinyi's beautiful little face instantly greeted her sight.
"For you, Manager Gu. The reporters might appear at any time!" Xi Xinyi said softly.
Gu Lingsha sniffled, then took the tissue that Xi Xinyi handed her to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
"Manager Xi, what are you doing here?"
As someone who could control her emotions well, after a while, Gu Lingsha returned to normal and breathed in as she looked at Xi Xinyi.
"I came to the hospital for some medication. I've been having a cold for the past two days."
She could hear that Xi Xinyi's voice was slightly raspy and nasally.
"Manager Xi, you've been working too hard for the South River Project as of late. You should watch out for your health," Gu Lingsha said with considerate concern.
When Xi Xinyi heard that, a bitter smile spread across her face. "It's fine. It's just how things are."
Then, she turned to look outside the corridor and realized that it was getting dark. She thought about it and said, "It's getting late. Manager Gu, you should get home soon. I saw reports at the entrance earlier. I think you should go down to the second floor and walk out via the stairs," Xi Xinyi mentioned kindly.
Recently, Gu Qiwu and Doris's incident had caused quite a buzz that did not stop these past few days. In fact, it seemed to be increasing in trend, especially since the news of Gu Qiwu's hospitalization leaked out. It had indirectly caused another wave. If the whole thing with Doris happened...
Upon hearing that, Gu Lingsha turned to look out at the sky. She thought about it and then said, "Since we bumped into each other, how about we have dinner together? You've been working hard for the South River Project since I was busy with the wedding a while ago, and I should thank you properly."
"Manager Gu, you're too courteous. That's just part of my duties," Xi Xinyi said humbly.
Gu Lingsha smiled. "Unless you're not willing to give me the honor, Manager Xi?"
Stunned, Xi Xinyi nodded. "Since you've invited me, I'd obviously be happy to go along with you!"
"Let's go then!" Gu Lingsha quickly returned to normal and turned around to walk towards the elevator.
...
Gu Qiwu was too tired, so he slept all the way till the next day. When he woke up with a heaviness in his body, the pain that came from his stomach made him frown involuntarily. He was about to sit up when Ah Yong, who had been guarding at the side, went up to him.
"Boss! You're awake!" His concerned tone had a hint of a pleasant surprise as he went up to help Gu Qiwu sit up. Ah Yong had been worried for a whole night!
Gu Qiwu leaned back against the bedhead weakly. He looked frail, and there was a sickly pale on his face, making him look wan and sallow.
"What happened to me? Why am I here?" His raspy voice was heard. When he looked up and saw that his hands were needles in his hand, he frowned.
"Boss, you drank too much and had internal bleeding. Thankfully, we sent you to the hospital in time. The doctor says you should be more careful. You can't do that anymore. Otherwise, the situation will get worse. Your gastric has always been bad. Whatever it is, you have to watch out for your health," Ah Yong advised worriedly as he poured Gu Qiwu a cup of warm water.
Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu shut his eyes tiredly and took a deep breath. He calmed himself down for a while before opening his eyes. He remembered the things he had said to Gu Lingsha.
"Miss Lingsha came earlier, but she's gone back now. She'll come over tomorrow morning. You're still very weak. The doctor said that you need to stay in the hospital for treatment before you can be discharged. I've done my best to lock down the news, so, Boss, please recuperate at ease. Nothing's more important than your health. If you collapse, there'll be nothing else."
He knew that Gu Qiwu had been in a poor state recently, so Ah Yong tried his best to enlighten him. Even though Gu Qiwu was usually a man of few words and was extremely stern, he carried a lot of weight in his heart. However, Ah Yong could see that his boss had not had it easy, especially with Madam.
Right now with the latest incident, how could he not feel bitterly disappointed?
Gu Qiwu did not say anything. He just silently lowered his gaze and drank a few sips. Soon, some radiance returned to his pale lips. He returned the glass and reached out to hold his faintly aching stomach. Suddenly, he fell silent and did not move. You could not guess what he was thinking about.
Ah Yong thought about it, before he responded, "Boss, recover in peace. I know that recent incidents have caused a lot of frustrations for you. As long as we don't respond, they can't do anything about it."
Gu Qiwu sighed. There was a faint sneer on his stern face as he looked up at Ah Yong. "How's the company doing? Bring me my laptop!" He had already thought that if things out the way they were right now, the company would definitely be affected, so he executed some precautions.
"Don't worry, Boss. The company's alright for now. Even though there were inevitable effects in the stock market, it's all within controlled parameters. It's just that...Boss, yesterday Miss Lingshi went looking for Madam. According to the subordinates, Madam seems to have mentioned 'divorce'. Boss, Madam might be thinking of getting a divorce with you."
When he said the last few words, Ah Yong looked hesitant and concern colored his eyes.
Indeed, as Ah Yong said that, Gu Qiwu's handsome face immediately sank!
"Divorce? In her dreams!" Gu Qiwu's cold voice did not have a hint of warmth as he smirked coldly. "I've been so good to her all these years, yet she cheated on me! This witch! Did she think I'd let her off so easily?" When he said this, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
"But, Boss, if you persist, Madam might use the route of the courts. After all, if Miss Mu Lingshi...that's hard evidence right there, and it wouldn't be great for us. When the time comes for the court to decide, we might lose out big time. Boss, we'll have to think this through," Ah Yong pondered over the reasons and said softly.
Upon hearing that, Gu Qiwu laughed grimly. "Does it make sense even when Doris has cheated on me? You know very well how I've treated her all these years! Even if it's because of Lingshi...so what? That illegitimate child that she bore wasn't mine! The other day, I told you to do a DNA comparison of that illegitimate child and Lingsha. When will the results be out?"
Gu Qiwu looked up coldly, his sharp gaze landing straight on Ah Yong.
Gu Qiwu was no fool. When Doris had a miscarriage, he had already ordered Ah Yong to get this settled.
With his intelligence, he already had a backup move. Perhaps it was in the midst of their fighting with each other that he was used to having a backup plan. As he thought about this, he was not sure whether he should be grateful for his keen vigilance or be sad about this unpredictable relationship.
Nonetheless, Gu Qiwu could not careless now. Because of a woman like Doris, he only felt sad and ludicrous for his situation.
"There are no results for now. I've done as you ordered with a few hospitals doing the comparisons, Boss. If it can be used as evidence, it'll definitely be more powerful. Boss, I didn't know why you wanted to do that before this, but now I know that you were doing it as a backup, it was great foresight!"
Ah Yong could not help but admire Gu Qiwu for ordering him to do that so calmly. If it had been another man, he would probably have been driven mad by Doris.
He was clear that Gu Qiwu did have some feelings for Doris. However, he did not understand why Doris would do such a thing behind Gu Qiwu's back. Now, as a subordinate, even he found it unworthy for Gu Qiwu's sake. At the same time, he felt bad for Mu Zi and Mu Lingtian, who had passed away, and Mu Lingshi as well.
Gu Qiwu laughed grimly and his eyes suddenly darkened as he inhaled sharply. "This won't pass so soon. Ah Yong, find a way to investigate Doris and find out who the man is. Even if we go to court, Doris won't be able to shed all the responsibility!
"This time, Mu Yuchen's move was truly vicious, but he managed to find out Doris's secret. I don't know whether to thank him or to resent him."
A bitterness flashed across Gu Qiwu's face. His mind suddenly recalled Mu Lingshi's indifferent expression, and he felt a heaviness in his chest that made it hard to breathe. He took in a few laborious breaths before he calmed down.
"Boss, are you sure that Mu Yuchen did this?" Ah Yong asked.
"Who else could have such capabilities? Even I don't know about Doris cheating on me, but he seemed to know it like the back of his hand. In fact, a while back, when he asked me out, he did warn me. Elder Madam Mu's passing might have moved him to act. He was warning me. I'm sure that right now he's waiting for me to go to him." Gu Qiwu suddenly laughed bitterly and helplessly.
"Boss, what should we do now? Mu Yuchen did it on purpose. Not only did he expose these, but he even made you and Madam break up like this. Also, I'm afraid that Miss Lingshi...Boss, are you planning never to acknowledge Miss Lingshi?" Ah Yong could not help but ask.
He knew that Gu Qiwu had not let go of Mu Lingshi and the rest. Whether it was out of guilt or his conscience, the boss still had them on his mind. Otherwise, he would not have visited Mu Zi every year.
The Ghost Festival was around the corner. Was the boss still going to Qingshan Cemetery to pay his respects?
However, they were gone, so what was the meaning of doing all this?
Furthermore, Elder Madam Mu had just passed away too.
When Ah Yong asked that question, Gu Qiwu did not immediately have an answer. His expression only froze and his eyes darkened.
Even if he wanted to acknowledge her, he probably...
In the end, Gu Qiwu did not answer the question. He sighed and turned to look at Ah Yong. "Quickly get the thing done. Also, ask Mu Yuchen out. In three days, I want to meet him for a chat!"
"Boss, you want to meet Chairman Mu? What about Miss Lingshi?"
Gu Qiwu slowly shut his eyes and breathed in. "It's best not to meet her for now since it won't be a happy meeting."
"Yes, I got it, Boss!'
...
In the evening, the glow of the sunset colored half the sky red.
In Maple Residence in the Grand Waves Villa area, when he received Li Si's call, Mu Yuchen was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
"Master, Gu Qiwu's awake. He asked to meet you in three days in the pastures of the western suburbs. He says he's got something to talk to you about." Li Si's respectful voice was heard through the phone.
Mu Yuchen paused what he was doing for a while as his profound eyes flashed with shifting light. After he hesitated momentarily, he responded, "I don't want to meet him."
"Master, I think it might be about Miss Lingshi. Do we want to...?"
"Just respond that way." Mu Yuchen clearly did not want to say more, so he then hung up right away before he continued busying himself again.
He had just put in the marinated fish to cook when he suddenly felt something tugging at his pant leg. Mu Yuchen was surprised as he looked down and saw his son crawling to sit by his leg. The little guy was pulling at his pant leg as he mumbled and smiled at him. His hands balled into little fists that were put into his mouth.
Mu Yuchen's heart instantly melted at his cute demeanor. He kept his phone away and bent down to pick his son up. "Little guy, are you crawling around again? How naughty of you! Mmm?" he said as he pinched the little guy's cheeks.
Nevertheless, Mu Xiaocheng's hands flailed and smacked his old man's handsome face. When he heard the loud sound, he even began giggling.
"Little fool, why's your laughter so silly? Tell me, what are you laughing about? Hmm?"
Mu Xiaocheng's movements were swifter now, especially since he had been growing and was less restless recently. Ever since he could clutch onto things to stand, he no longer liked being carried, so he would struggle and then crawl everywhere.
Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye would usually find him under the shelf in the study room or behind the living room sofa, and even in all the corners of the house. Of course, they would not limit his movements.
Consequently, Mu Yuchen covered the floor with an expensive layer of slip-resistant carpet. That way, it could keep the little guy from getting cold and make it convenient for him to move around. They just let him play himself, but Sis Wang's cleaning became a bit harder because the restless little one would always topple many things. He sure was destructive!
The books on the lowest shelves in the study room had already been torn up by the little guy. Xi Xiaye had to install a door for the shelves so that they could stop the little thing from continuing his destruction.
Mu Xiaocheng usually liked staying close to his father.
Perhaps because of the chemistry between father and son, every time the little guy was with Mu Yuchen, he would always have so much fun. Especially now that he could recognize people, he would stick to Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye all day.
What made Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye glad was that even though the little guy was very mischievous, he rarely had crying fits. He would merely cry a little when he was hungry, and once they fed him, he would immediately stop. Even Sis Wang and the rest said that Mu Xiaocheng was the easiest child to take care of though he was just mischievous.
With one hand carrying his son and the other stirring the food in the wok, Master Mu called out towards the door, "Xiaye, come and bring our son out. The kitchen's too oily."
When she heard that, Xi Xiaye rushed in. Seeing Mu Xiaocheng in Mu Yuchen's arms, she was relieved. She walked over to carry him and could not help but pat the little guy's butt with two mini spanks.
"Naughty kid! I'll manage you! He crawled over just as I was in the washroom. I was looking all over for him! He's quite quick, isn't he?!" Xi Xiaye complained with a headache.
Mu Yuchen chuckled as he reached out to pinch Mu Xiaocheng's little face. "You deserve it, you mini devil! Let's visit the old residence tomorrow, grandfather misses him."
"Mmm, bring him over tomorrow. I'm meeting Detective Zhang."
"Alright, go on out then. It's oily in here. Don't come in."
As long as he was home, Mu Yuchen would not usually let Xi Xiaye into the kitchen since it was too oily and smoky. Based on what Su Chen said, women would age easily if they were always in touch with such things.
Ever since Su Chen got married to Ji Zitong, he had practically become a loyal dog to his wife in Zhou Zimo's words!
Zhou Zimo had asked him out quite a few times, but he did not go. As a result, Zhou Zimo was so angry that he cursed Su Chen for prioritizing his wife over friends. He would always complain to Mu Yuchen. Right then, dinner had just been prepared when there was a sound from outside the door, and Mu Yuchen could hear Sis Wang greeting someone.
"Hello, Master Mo!"
That was right!
Zhou Zimo was there to leech at dinner!
"Good evening! I'm guessing that dinner's just been prepared?"
Zhou Zimo had just walked in when he saw the dishes ready on the dining table. He sat down and took a wet towel to wipe his hand as he excitedly picked up the chopsticks.
When Mu Yuchen brought the last dish out, he shot him a side look. "Why are you here?"
"Why can't I come? Bring another set of cutlery. I'm starving!" Zhou Zimo said as he shouted into the kitchen, "Xiaye, bring me another set of cutlery!"
Mu Yuchen glared at him, then sat down on a chair while Xi Xiaye quickly brought a set of cutlery over.
"I was just going to ask you out for a drink. Su Chen's not coming and Qi Lei seems to be quite busy recently. I'm the only lonely one, so I can only come to your place to leech at dinner." Zhou Zimo got up and walked to the drinks cupboard. He took out a bottle of whiskey and poured some for himself and Mu Yuchen.
"I think you're just hiding from your family here. I know that Mother Zhou's been nagging you recently." Mu Yuchen carelessly pinpointed what was on Zhou Zimo's mind.
Zhou Zimo looked up at him and replied unhappily, "There really is nothing I can hide from you. My old man's already said that if I still don't get anyone by the end of this year, I'm not allowed to go home. Why is it that elders now love to threaten us so easily? How annoying!"
As he finished the drink in his glass, he said gloomily, "They even signed me up for some car club and a comic exhibition meetup. How about you talk to my parents for me?"
"I can't help you out with this. You aren't young anymore, and you're the only one left among the three buddies. I understand how Mother Zhou feels."
"Right now, I kind of regret being so content when we were studying. Otherwise, I could've had a girlfriend to go through many years of hardships. That kind of love is one that I envy," Zhou Zimo cleared his throat and lamented sadly.
Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye instantly laughed gently as she handed the chopsticks to the man beside her. "Zimo, the depth of a relationship has nothing to do with the length of time actually. Chen always tells me about you, and I do think that among the three buddies, you're the most genuine one."
"Xiaye, you're my friend! I think so too! No one loves a man who's overly genuine!" Zhou Zimo beamed at her.
"Your head's full of tricks. If you were really genuine, then there's no such thing as innocence in this world anymore," Mu Yuchen objected.
"Chen, that's pure slander! To act on those thoughts is true sincerity. I'm being outwardly flirtatious, not like you, cold on the outside but passionate on the inside! I must express it. I'm destined to be flirtatious!"
"Can you keep quiet while eating? With the way you act, even good women would be frightened away. Could you be more chivalrous? Did you really think she was complimenting you?"
Then, the few of them smirked at one another before holding up their drinks for a toast.
After dinner, Xi Xiaye brought their son to shower while Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo went to the study room.
...
The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up early. After packing up, he was planning to return straight the old Mu residence, but Mu Yinan had already gone over, and Ah Mo and Mu Lingshi were with him too.
Xi Xiaye left early that day because she had a morning meeting. Breakfast was also rushed as she ate a little before going straight to work. In the afternoon, she was meeting Detective Zhang.
Compared to a few days ago, Mu Yinan was now in a much better state.
When he saw Mu Xiaocheng, he could not help but carry him up to play with him while Mu Lingshi went to the backyard with Mu Yuchen.
"Gu Qiwu's hospitalized because of gastrointestinal bleeding. He didn't respond to this either. Do you blame me for leaking out this news on my own accord?"
At the table in the pavilion in the backyard, Mu Yuchen leaned slightly against the handrail behind him as he watched the slightly pale Mu Lingshi.
Mu Lingshi still looked a little weak right now. Despite having faced such a huge blow, Mu Yuchen actually admired her for being strong and not breaking down. He could understand her anguish.
She had always been a strong sister that he quietly protected. After the incident with Mu Lingtian, he seemed to have compensated all of his guilt towards her.