Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Upon hearing that, Li Si nodded.
“Right, Master, we can't go back through the way we came. Let's just take the highway. Right now, it's almost time for work to be over, so we might get into a traffic jam,” the chauffeur quickly explained the situation to Mu Yuchen.
“No worries, let's go,” Mu Yuchen softly said.
The chauffeur grunted in response, then silently started the car to drive ahead steadily.
Mu Yuchen's eyes fell onto the woman beside him. He could sense that she was not in a good mood. After thinking about it for a while, he still did not understand why she was being like this.
“Speak, Xiaye!” He hesitated for a moment before he softly called out to her as his eyes locked onto her bright and pretty little face.
Then, Xi Xiaye breathed in slightly, thought about it, before turning to look at him gloomily and unhappily. Still, she said frankly, “Sometimes, I feel really unhappy that you and Gu Lingsha were once fiancès, and that they bring this up every time without caring about how I feel.” When she said this, there was a tint of jealousy in her tone.
Mu Yuchen was shocked to hear this, but then he chuckled and replied softly, “I thought that I'd accidentally angered you when you are just being jealous over trivial matters. I've told you many times that there was nothing between Gu Lingsha and I. It was all just a one-sided affair on their end. If we follow your logic, shouldn't I already be bathing in jealousy?”
As he tried to imply something, his dark eyes flickered when he looked meaningfully at her.
Xi Xiaye obviously knew what he meant. She fell silent for a bit and then sighed softly. “Time passes so quickly. Soon, it's going to be two years now…A while ago, Han Yifeng even called me.”
Upon hearing that, his handsome brows raised slightly. “What did he say?” he asked in a lowered voice.
“Nothing much. He just heard about my hand getting hurt, so he called to ask me about it.”
As Xi Xiaye said this, she opened up her palms which had obvious scars. “Su Nan says that his son can walk now, and he's changed a lot. After that, I thought about it and realized that it wasn't only him who had changed. So did we.”
Suddenly, she looked up and met his gaze.
Mu Yuchen thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “We're definitely in a much different place from before, and there have indeed been some changes, such as this time. Everyone will need some time to heal. Right now, I'm worried about Grandfather and Lingshi. Grandfather and Grandmother had been married for decades while Lingshi might also…”
“Perhaps that's just fate. We can't avoid it,” Xi Xiaye sighed and said.
Without answering, he lowered his gaze a little sadly while his long eyelashes hid the sadness that gathered in his eyes.
“I think that Doris is quite something. Even just looking at her made me feel her imposing aura.”
Doris's beautiful and charming face flashed in Xi Xiaye's mind.
That woman did not look at her at all throughout the encounter and had ignored her right away. Xi Xiaye had no doubt that she had done it on purpose, but she acted so naturally, which truly amazed Xi Xiaye!
Doris was probably great at scheming. Even though Gu Lingsha was already not bad at such conniving acts, she seemed to have only scraped the surface.
“I told you, she's not easy to handle. I obviously wouldn't go for her. Even though she's detailed and her tricks are quite cruel, she hasn't done anything against me so far, but there's definitely more to her than meets the eye,” Mu Yuchen said to Xi Xiaye.
Previously, he had discussed Doris with Su Chen and Zhou Zimo more than once. They had collected a bunch of information on her too, so he roughly more or less knew about Doris's situation.
“Did she used to be in close contact with the Mu family? Otherwise, why would she come to pay respects to Grandmother?” Xi Xaye looked at him in confusion.
Mu Yuchen held up a hand to hold his head as he massaged the heaviness. “Not frequently. Apart from the times before my wedding with Gu Lingsha, she's a very prideful woman, and she's experienced. She's got her own unique views on some things, but she could get along quite well with Grandmother.”
Because he did not have a memorable impression of Doris, there was not much he could say.
“Do you think she actually knew about Gu Qiwu and Aunt? She's such a smart woman. I'm sure she would've suspected something.” Xi Xiaye thought about it, then raised her suspicion.
Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen's handsome face stiffened as he responded, “We can't be too sure about that since no one knows what Doris is thinking, but I can only tell you that there's more to her than what she seems. Based on the fact that she could make Gu Qiwu surrender and marry her back then, letting her take on the Hui Gu Corporation, straining relationships with the elders of the Gu family, and still dote on her, do you think she's a simple woman?”
“Dote on her? Now that I hear you say it, Gu Qiwu seems to love Doris to death. If she could do all of that for her, who was Aunt to him?”
When she said that, the atmosphere in the car became stifled again. The light in Xi Xiaye's eyes shifted too. She thought that perhaps Wang Hui had thought about this, and was triggered to death.
“He told me before that he only admired Aunt, but he couldn't let go of Doris,” he said after falling silent for a long while. Then, he looked out of the window, watching as the sky outside turn gloomy. Smelling the faint fragrance of lilies left behind in the wind, he fell into a daze.
A while had passed when Xi Xiaye suddenly lamented, “I think that Aunt just wanted to love one person wholeheartedly, but why…why was it all so hard?”
“Feelings are something that one can only come across serendipitously. You and I should understand this well. Who wouldn't want to have an unforgettable love? Unfortunately, there's a high price to pay.”
Xi Xiaye nodded in agreement. She muttered to herself in response, “Yes, I think that if there was a choice to do it all over again, Aunt may not have been willing to get involved with Gu Qiwu.”
As he listened to her say that, a lonely and bitter smile rippled across his face.
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When they were both sizing each other up, Doris silently walked up to the couple and examined them, but she did not stop walking and only slowed down.
Xi Xiaye quickly snapped back to her senses. When she turned to look at Mu Yuchen, she realized that there was a dim light in his eyes. He averted his gaze without batting an eyelid and looked at the gravestone.
Soon, Doris reached Wang Hui's gravestone. As the cold wind reached them, Xi Xiaye seemed to be able to detect the faint fragrance of perfume in the air as Doris's aura faintly came through.
When the older woman stopped, Mu Yuchen subconsciously moved Xi Xiaye to hold her on the other side of his body. There was a shifting light in his eyes as he silently watched this scene before him.
Doris did not immediately say anything. She just put the bouquet in her hand down on Wang Hui's gravestone with a solemn and respectful expression, and she took off the white flower on her chest to put onto the gravestone too. The flames that were freshly lit instantly swallowed the bunch of white flowers.
She took three dignified bows before the gravestone, then straightened up to stare at Wang Hui's photo for a long while before she turned to Mu Yuchen who had kept quiet throughout the whole process.
“The last time I met Elder Madam Mu, it was six years ago on the day before your wedding with Lingsha. Six years later, I thought that I could visit her this time, and we could all meet again. Unfortunately, humans are fortune's fools. Now that we are separated into two worlds, I feel regretful and sad.”
Doris's gentle and slightly gloomy voice came through, sounding very soothing. Especially with the faint sadness in between her brows, she looked melancholic and sincere.
Of course, these words were directed at Mu Yuchen because her eyes were only fixed on him as if she did not see Xi Xiaye beside him.
Mu Yuchen's arm that held Xi Xiaye slid down, then he held her hand. With their fingers interlocked, his gaze met with Doris's eyes, but he did not answer her.
Upon seeing that Mu Yuchen did not answer, Doris was not angry. She just smiled and asked, “Is Elder Mister Mu still healthy and well?”
“Very well,” Mu Yuchen answered calmly. He held Xi Xiaye and was about to turn and leave, but Doris's gentle chuckle stopped him. “Ah Chen, six years ago, you weren't this cold and courteous to me. You should know that I've always favored you like my own son.”
Her gentle voice contained faint helplessness. When Xi Xiaye studied her, she saw that Doris's eyes were fixated on Mu Yuchen, as if there was some warmth in them. Xi Xiaye could not see any darkness. However, she could feel the coldness that radiated from the man beside her.
“Then, I can only thank you for looking after me, Aunt Gu,” he said calmly, instantly storing away all of his emotions.
“Are you still feeling guilty and blaming yourself for what happened to Lingtian, or are you angry?” Doris asked in concern. The light flickered in her blue eyes as they silently watched Mu Yuchen's handsome face.
“Aunt Gu, haven't you always disliked it when others bring up the past?” he asked her instead.
Upon hearing that, she only pursed her lips and smiled, and then sighed, “The dead have departed. Indeed, there's no need to talk about this anymore. As for Elder Madam Mu's passing, I feel saddened and regretful about it. My condolences.
“I've always felt very regretful about what happened six years ago. To me, you and Shasha were the best match. Sadly, Shasha didn't know how to appreciate it herself and ruined such a good marriage. You know that I did my best to bring the two of you together. Now, Shasha and Qi Feng have settled down with each other. I find it very regretful. The two of you had a destiny but no fate. Nevertheless, in my heart, you'll always be the best son-in-law for the Gu family.”
When Doris said this, her blue eyes could not help but darken while her face was filled with sorrow and regret.
“That's funny, Aunt Gu. Fate isn't so easy,” Mu Yuchen responded coldly as his hand squeezed Xi Xiaye's hand even tighter to the point that she could feel the pain crawling up from between her fingers.
“Oh? Is it not fate?” Doris looked meaningfully at Mu Yuchen. She laughed as she shook her head. “No, you and Shasha are fated. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come so close to being a married couple, and that's the truth, Ah Chen! That's fate!”
Mu Yuchen suddenly looked annoyed. His long eyelashes flickered for a bit, hiding the gloominess.
“I've never quite believed in fate, but if I had to believe it just one time, then—” he said then suddenly paused. A sharpness flashed in his eyes and his gaze went straight for Doris's eyes. Taken aback by his sudden gaze too, she looked up silently at him.
“It definitely wouldn't have been with Gu Lingsha either,” he concluded coldly and turned around to leave with Xi Xiaye in hand.
Doris did not go after him. She just watched the two of them leave as her elegant and beautiful face flashed with a bitter sneer.
Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye walked all the way down the stairs. When they reached below, Li Si had already been waiting in the car for a long time. The second he saw Mu Yuchen and Xi Xiaye's figures, he immediately went up to them.
“Master, Missus!”
Mu Yuchen handed the umbrella to him and pulled the door open for Xi Xiaye.
Xi Xiaye got in without a word, not looking very pleased. When Mu Yuchen got in as well, she was already looking out of the window gloomily.
“What's wrong? Why did your mood suddenly change?”
Mu Yuchen was a sensitive person, so he could immediately see that she was unhappy. Right now, it was beyond obvious. After they left Wang Hui's gravestone, she had not said a single word to him.
It was reasonable to say that being the kind of person she was, she would have said a few things to console him or find a way to probe him about what Doris had said earlier, but she did not say anything at all. This was abnormal of her!
Xi Xiaye did not respond and just sighed.
From the front, Li Si had already gotten seated and turned as he asked softly, “Master, are we returning to the old Mu residence?”
“Mmm,” Mu Yuchen calmly replied, but his gaze remained focused on the side of Xi Xiaye's bright little face.
Chapter end
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