Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Outside the Gu residence, Gu Qiwu crossed his arms under the cold rain in the morning. It was freezing outside.
"Boss, are we just going to let them go? They mentioned something about evidence just now..." Ah Yong just watched as Doris left, appearing worried. "Doris's phone call just now was odd. You saw how her expression instantly changed!"
Gu Qiwu looked in the direction where the car left without saying anything. He did not seem like he was cold despite just wearing a sleeping robe in the chilly weather.
Ah Yong did not say anything else when he noticed Gu Qiwu's expression darken. Gu Qiwu turned and went back into the house as he said, "Call Mu Yuchen's assistant right away. Something good must have happened on Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei's end. Also, tell him to protect me no matter what. He won't have it easy if I'm imprisoned. Moreover, I've done my part of the deal, and he needs to recognize that Lingshi is a child of the Gu family."
"Boss..." Ah Yong was taken aback.
"Just do what I say! We have to stop Doris's plan immediately. That crazy woman will do anything out of desperation!" Gu Qiwu said coldly before vanishing out of the doorway.
"Yes, Boss!"
The next morning, Mu Yuchen woke up early as usual. He prepared breakfast for the whole family.
It was quiet downstairs when Xi Xiaye came down. She looked around and saw the man reading the newspaper on the sofa.
"Why is it so quiet? Where are Father, Mother, and Grandfather?"
The elders in the family had a habit of waking up early, thus Xi Xiaye found it odd to not see them at this time.
The man averted his gaze to her when he heard her voice. He put the papers away and waved his hand at her. "Christmas is coming soon, so they brought our son to go shopping. Grandfather went to see Elder Su, and they won't be home for lunch. Is Lingshi still asleep?"
Xi Xiaye went near and sat down beside him. "Mmm, she slept pretty late last night. Let her rest for now."
Mu Yuchen put an arm around her shoulder before gently kissing her lips. "I'm heading over to the site at South River today. Do you want to come along?"
She nodded. "I wanted to take a look there as well. Vice President Zhang Lan told me that the first phase is reaching the end soon, but..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Mu Yuchen's phone started ringing. The two of them looked over and noticed Li Si's name flashing on the screen. Mu Yuchen put the newspaper away and picked up the call.
"Hello? Master?" Li Si's voice sounded anxious. "Big news!"
"Hmm?" Mu Yuchen gave a brief reply.
Li Si then continued, "Gu Qiwu's assistant, Ah Yong, called me at 3 a.m. this morning! Doris brought her subordinates over to the Gu residence to have a discussion with Gu Qiwu..." He briefly informed Mu Yuchen what happened over at Gu Qiwu's place.
Mu Yuchen's eyes turned cold slowly. "How did Doris get that evidence?" he squinted his eyes and asked coldly. Then, he let go of Xi Xiaye and started drinking the tea he had just brewed slowly while the light in his eyes was flickering. He seemed to have a lot on his mind at the moment.
"Gu Qiwu guessed that Qi Feng must have provided her with the information. Only Qi Feng knew what Gu Qiwu did at that time. However, Gu Qiwu said he swore on his dignity that he didn't order the killer to kill Wang Qin. He just wanted Missus to be holding the knife when the lights returned. He didn't expect the killer to actually kill Wang Qin!" Li Si's tone of voice sounded doubtful as he found the whole situation odd as well.
"Dignity?" Mu Yuchen had a cold grin when he heard those words. "Does he even have that?"
"Certainly not! However, after I analyzed a little, it's not very likely that was Gu Qiwu's intentions. The killer either made a mistake, or there was some other intention behind it."
Li Si offered his own thoughts, "By the way, Gu Qiwu said he can agree to your terms, but he wishes for Miss Lingshi to return to the Gu family."
"What terms? Gu Qiwu is full of himself. It's Lingshi's decision to make whether she wants to return to the Gu family. I won't interfere with her decision making, but I can't help with that. As for the rest, I'm willing to cooperate. I'm looking forward to his reaction when the truth about six years ago is revealed."
"Yes, Master! Master, I found out that Inspector Zhang's flight will be back in City Z in the afternoon in three days. I suppose he already has what we want. I've sent someone to keep an eye on the car workshop owner. He rarely goes out, so it shouldn't be difficult for us to keep him under control."
"Be cautious about his safety. I'm sure Doris must've noticed something going on behind her back already."
"Yes, Master! We'll be able to reveal the truth once we get the evidence! I'm sure Master Lingtian will be able to truly rest in peace by then."
Mu Yuchen did not reply to Li Si. He was taken aback for a moment, so he closed his eyes for some time before replying, "I'll leave the rest in your hands." Then, he put the teacup down before hanging up.
"Stop frowning. It's good news, after all." Xi Xiaye pulled at his arm a little when she saw him frowning.
He did not move an inch and just let her pull his hand around as he gazed into her eyes with his dreamy, starry eyes. He stared at her for a moment before saying, "You're pretty considerate to help Lingshi out even when you know I'm troubled, huh? Come home and sleep with me tonight."
He could not abstain anymore ever since he married her...
"Can your head think of something else? It's early in the morning! You're getting more and more vulgar. What happened to the old you?" Xi Xiaye slapped his paws before throwing him a disgusted stare!
Mu Yuchen looked calm as usual as he got up together with her and walked towards the dining table with her. "You're overthinking. I wasn't thinking of anything."
"I'm not believing that. Why don't you prove yourself by abstaining for a month or two?" Xi Xiaye looked back and squinted at him with a grin just to provoke him.
Mu Yuchen's expression darkened. He quickly pulled out a chair for her to sit down. "Just pretend I didn't say anything just now. Please don't do that!"
Xi Xiaye chuckled when she saw his reaction. "You're annoying!"
"I'm not. I'm being respectful of you. Come on and eat up now. There are a lot of things to do today, and I need to be at the police station this afternoon too." Mu Yuchen added a fried egg onto her plate.
Xi Xiaye was enjoying the service she was being provided. "About Gu Qiwu?"
He nodded. "Mmm, Gu Qiwu can't fall yet for Ah Mo's sake, or else, he would just be doing Doris a favor."
"Doris is truly a wicked woman! Fortunately, you were smart back then. Otherwise, you would've become her son-in-law already."
"You ought to learn from my wisdom."
"Look at you, acting all cheeky. I think there is some narcissistic gene in the Mu family bloodline. Our son acts just like you now whenever he's given a compliment! As expected of father and son."
"What's wrong with being smart?"
The rain continued throughout the night, and it was wet everywhere on the road.
As the car went through bumpy mountainous roads, Qi Lei felt dizzy from all the rocking he experienced. Although he felt like his strength was all drained, he still tried his best to hang on. Yang Sheng's fever went down slightly after the night, but he was still pretty weak, and the bumpy mountain roads did not help.
The car's petrol was depleted by the time morning came, so the three of them continued their journey on foot.
Fortunately, they were not pursued, or else, they could not have escaped.
Ah Mo carried Yang Sheng on his back as they walked through the muddy mountain path. Qi Lei followed behind and covered his injured arm. All of them looked horrendous with mud all over them.
It was even a first for Ah Mo to feel this humiliated! He swore to himself that he would make these scumbags pay for it!
"Damn it! Where is this place?! We can't even find a residential area after driving for a whole night. I'm so tired!" Qi Lei complained as he wiped the droplets off his face. He could not even tell whether that was his sweat or rainwater.
Ah Mo turned around and noticed that his expression was pale. He looked like he was about to get sick, much to Ah Mo's worry.
They needed to find a place to settle down; he had no capacity to take care of two patients!
Qi Lei was obviously suffering from excessive hemorrhaging. If this situation continued, there was no guarantee of whether he could return to City Z alive.
After Ah Mo and Qi Lei had taken turns carrying him for some time now, Yang Sheng suddenly said while he was on Ah Mo's back, "Master Qi, Ah Mo, I'm sorry. I'm being a burden right now. It doesn't seem like we'll be able to rest anytime soon. Please let me down and stop letting me be a burden. Perhaps the two of you can still get out. Just leave me..."
He thought that situations like this would only happen in television drama series or fiction. Who would have known that it would actually happen to them? Yang Sheng was touched when Qi Lei and Ah Mo did not abandon him. However, he felt really guilty hindering them right now.
"Don't spout nonsense. Save your breath," Qi Lei said.
Ah Mo took a deep breath and paused for a moment, "Don't say that. We'll be able to get out together, and there should be a village nearby after walking this far. I'll never abandon my brothers and comrades. Moreover, the two of you are my brother's friends. I won't be able to face my brother if I return to City Z myself."
He then clenched his teeth and continued moving forward.
"This is nothing. Back then, when Master, Master Su, and Master Mo just joined the military, their training in the jungle was much harsher. Master Qi, it's not all bad, to be honest. At least, we got something in return, yes?" Ah Mo sounded happy.
"I'm not like your Master. I just want to leave this damned place as soon as possible."
While Qi Lei was tired, he had to admit that Ah Mo's words were right. He was really impressed by Ah Mo's abilities on their way here. Qi Lei was a humble person, especially towards those whom he respected.
"For sure we'll be able to leave. Take a look there." Ah Mo let out a sigh of relief.
Qi Lei was stunned for a moment before looking in the direction Ah Mo pointed at.
Bare ground greeted their sight, and straight ahead, they could see a lump of something dark on the side like some sort of haystack?
Qi Lei squinted to look, and in an instant, his eyes suddenly lit up while a smile spread across his pale face!
"This is the corn stalk haystack that villages gather. That means someone must have farmed on this land, so there must be households nearby!" Ah Mo thought that Qi Lei did not understand, so he explained.
Upon hearing that, Qi Lei's eyes flashed with joy. He quickly said, "Yes! There must be households nearby! What are we waiting for then? It should be this road ahead. Let's go quickly!"
Ah Mo responded, and quickened his steps...
Indeed, about two kilometers ahead, they saw more than ten low-rise wooden houses that were far and few in between...
"There are households! Ah Mo, look!" Qi Lei was relieved as he pointed at the village ahead.
"Let's go then! We'll see if there's a doctor to treat the two of you first."
"Let's go!"
"What did you say? They escaped? Eight people couldn't even watch over three cold and hungry people?"
Inside the luxurious hotel, Doris listened to the black-clothed man beside Glenn report to her while her face was gathered with a reckless layer of stormy expression as she coldly looked at the man before him.
"Sorry, Miss, the rain was too heavy. In fact, they set things on fire and tied our people up, so we could only save our people first, and based on the whole situation, they had planned this way in advanced. They remembered the courtyard's layout very well, and they..."
"Enough! I don't want to hear any more excuses. I'm just asking you where they are right now. Where are Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei? Have you caught them yet?" Doris put out the cigarette in her hand and clenched her teeth as she said gloomily.
"Our people have gone out to chase them. However...we lost them, but, Miss, don't worry. We've already sent out more people. The terrain in that area is complicated. In fact, we've gone deep into the mountains, and the car won't be able to last for long, so it must be very hard for them to get out. Our people are familiar with the terrain. Plus, they don't have any communication tools on them, so I'm sure they won't be able to get out. Give us a bit more time. We'll definitely catch them!" the man in black said a little worriedly and uneasily. When he saw Doris' cold gaze about to burst into a fury, he was slightly afraid.
"Your capabilities are getting worse! If you can't even handle this one little thing, why should I keep you? Useless! All of you are useless! Get out!"
Doris picked up the cup on the table and tossed it hard to the ground, frightening the man until he quickly knelt to beg, "Miss, please don't be angry. Give us one more chance. We will definitely catch them again! Don't worry!"
"Miss, actually, you can't blame them entirely for this. They have to face Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei. Those two aren't easy characters to deal with. Otherwise, Qi Feng wouldn't have tossed this to you to do. We cannot be a mess because of this matter. We must speed up our actions."
Glenn was Doris's capable assistant, it would not be wrong to call him her strategist since many of the plans required his opinions as a reference too.
Thus, when Glenn said that, Doris calmed down slightly and looked coldly at the black-clothed man who suddenly knelt before her. She said coldly, "Get up. Get someone to search for their traces. Block every road entrance. We can't let them get away."
When the man in black heard that, he felt relieved. He did not say anything much. He only responded shortly before leaving, "Yes, Miss!"
Only Glenn and Doris were left in the room now. It instantly fell quiet, and the air subconsciously felt heavier.
After a while, Doris pointed at the sofa across and said to Glenn as she picked up a cigarette box, "You sit down too." She lit a stick up herself and took a deep breath. Amidst the smoke, Glenn sat down too.
"Miss, you need to be more careful. Your heath's been deteriorating recently."
Doris leaned back and fell onto the sofa behind her while she let out a drag of smoke, and said with some frustration, "This isn't as simple as it seems. If Qi Feng pushed all of these to me, I'm sure that means he's also all prepared. Everything from before will go on as planned, and now, suddenly with all these new things popping up, we're being obstructed once again."
At this, she suddenly inhaled and relaxed a while, then she continued, "Glenn, I suddenly feel like this seems to be slowly getting off track. Why would Mu Yuchen suddenly come back? In this past month, it was because we've been playing hide and seek with him that our time got dragged on. Gu Qiwu's playing guerrilla warfare with me now too."
The longer this dragged out, the less it was looking up for them. Look, now something had happened.
Doris combed through her hair with her fingers and could not help but laugh bitterly. "You know what I'm most thankful for right now?"
"Miss..." Glenn called out softly, thought about it then said, "You..."
"The thing I'm most thankful for is that I didn't confuse myself because of Gu Qiwu, that I wasn't as dumb as Mu Zi was all those years ago. I've been married to him for so many years. Of course, there were good times, but I never lowered my guard as I didn't want to end up the way my mother did." Doris sighed softly, cleared her throat, and then flicked the cigarette between her fingers. "This all just proves that I was right to do that. Otherwise, today, I could've become the second Mu Zi."
"Miss, you're beautiful and elegant. You can't be compared to Mu Zi. Miss, you shouldn't sell yourself short," Glenn could not bear to hear Doris say this, so he consoled her.
"I know how I am. Since we've reached this point, we have to take our time making decisions. On the one hand, we should hasten our plans. We can't let Mu Yuchen and Gu Qiwu find out that Mu Lingmo and Qi Lei are no longer in our hands. Also, the other thing needs to be considered thoroughly too. We have to prepare to retreat. If anything happens, we'll be a mess! We must find the three of them again. We have to do something about Gu Qiwu and Mu Lingshi right away!"
When Doris said that, Glenn was in agreement. "Yes, Miss, don't worry, I will arrange for that. However, on Qi Feng's end..."
Glenn was unhappy with Qi Feng. He just wanted to wait for the fruits of victory instead of putting in too much effort, just as how he had got ten Morrison to send those details about Gu Qiwu over. Clearly, he was intentionally stalling for time. He must probably be planning on letting Qi Lei suffer longer...
Qi Kai would be having their shareholders meeting after the New Year, and Qi Qiming was already planning on handing his authority over. Qi Feng must be planning on letting Qi Lei out after this was done.
Doris and Glenn knew his motives very well!
"Qi Feng's very sly. Someone like him is actually just perfect as a high-level advisor and isn't suitable as someone in power or a decision-maker. If you compare them, he'll lose to Mu Yuchen by miles. Even if he wants to push Qi Lei aside, would Mu Yuchen just sit there? Aren't we being taken advantage of this time?"
When Qi Feng was brought up, Doris's blue eyes could not hide her disdain. "He's just an illegitimate son. If it were not for Shasha's sake, I wouldn't even want to look at someone like him. If we're going to compare, Qi Lei must be stronger than he is. If you don't believe me, then you can just watch. This time, if Qi Lei manages to get lucky and escape, once he comes back, good fortune will definitely rain on him," Doris said carefully.
Glenn nodded, agreeing with this, "That's right, especially Qi Qiming's attitude towards Qi Lei right now. Qi Feng could long sense the crisis at hand. Otherwise, someone as reserved as him wouldn't appear so uneasy."
"Huh, as for Qi Feng, right now, we have to work with him, but we can't let our guard down either, just in case they bite us back when the time comes. Also, Shasha's feeling towards him is one of his trump cards too." Doris's eyes were filled with sharpness. Her gaze seemed to be able to see through Glenn's eyes and see into his heart.
"Worry about this a little more right now. When we get back to England, I'll help you get your wish. After all, you've been with me for so many years, so I won't let you suffer," she promised.
"Miss, you're being too serious now. I'm just doing my part."
Doris nodded and waved at him. She could not help but say while feeling slightly tired, "Go down first. I'm a little tired, and I want to rest alone for a bit."
"Alright, Miss, please don't be too worried. It'll all work out when the time comes!" Glenn advised, then left.
At this moment, the sky outside was already bright, and it was going to be noon soon.
Glenn had just walked out of the room when the black-clothed man before him walked over to update him, "Mr. Glenn, earlier, a Mr. Morrison called. He said that he wants to meet Miss Doris and have dinner with our First Master Qi. Do you think..."
First Master Qi?
Qi Feng?
When Glenn heard that, a cold smile flitted across his mouth. He thought about it, then nodded. "Tell him I'll be there. Let him decide on the time and venue," he said before walking away in huge strides.
"Yes, Mr. Glenn!" the person responded, and then made way.
Close to noon, the rain began to slow down to a drizzle, and the winds were not that strong either. The entire city was much quieter than usual, especially right now by the South River.
The black Phaeton slowly stopped at the parking spot by the river. Li Si quickly opened the car door in front, and then held a large black umbrella to walk to the car behind.
"Master, Missus, we're here!"
Then, he respectfully opened the door.
Mu Yuchen got down from the car in his usual cool manner while Li Si quickly put the umbrella over him. Mu Yuchen already turned to reach into the car as Xi Xiaye swiftly put her cold hands onto his palms and slowly got down from the car.
When he saw Xi Xiaye staggering and then steadying herself, he immediately frowned and looked at the heels on her feet. "Be careful. It's a little slippery. Didn't I just get you two pairs of flats recently?"
She held his arm and said, "I'm feeling a little pressured from your height just by standing beside you."
"Men feel stressed out when women are too tall, so that is good." He turned to squint as her with a faint smile.
Upon hearing that, Xi Xiaye was immediately a little smug. She quickly leaned gently against him and laughed softly. "Is that true? Does this make you feel like I'm a little bird relying on you?"
When Mu Yuchen heard that, he looked at her, and then saw her red outfit. He thought about it, then said in a lowered voice, "More like a red fox or a giant bird. I'll let you choose between the two."
"A little bird relying on a pig!" She turned poker and shot him a cold stare.
"Alright, little bird it is then. Let's go."
When he saw that she was annoyed, Mu Yuchen merely chuckled as he put his arms around her and practically held all of her underneath his coat while his other hand took the umbrella from Li Si before they walked down the stairs.
Xi Xiaye knew to not overdo it either. She followed him down the stairs as she said, "It's not quite suitable for work to be ongoing right now since it's going to be the end of the year soon. When the time comes, let them go home sooner for the holidays. It'll be more convenient too. Otherwise, when the peak season during spring comes, they might not be able to rush back. The other day, I've reminded VP Zhang Lan that when the time comes, issue their salaries a few days earlier, and let everyone have a good New Year this year. Right, it's time you chase after those larger debts you've got outside too, or else, when the second phase is on the agenda after the New Year, I'm worried that the cash flow will be a little tight. I've just shifted some funds from your end to make up for the materials."
Even though Xi Xiaye did not hold a position at Glory World, she was quite aware of many things in the company, especially for the South River Project. To other people, she still held the position of Planning Director at Glory World, and Zhang Lan would frequently share about the South River Project with her too, especially in recent times when Mu Yuchen had not been managing company matters.
"You decide on it then. If it's not enough, then get it from the card." He was fine with anything. She was well aware of his assets anyway, and she was capable of managing the finances.
She looked at him and could not help but tease, "Aren't you worried about letting me manage your private reserves? Aren't you afraid I'll run off with it?"
Mu Yuchen looked unfettered. "I'll give it all to you. Are you sleeping in our room tonight?"
"Wow, you know how to throw money away recklessly now! Is this the prelude to becoming bad?" Xi XIaye smiled as her beautiful eyes brimmed with a faint warmth.