Upon seeing Gu Lingsha's expression turn slightly rigid despite her trying hard to maintain her gentle and elegant mannerisms, Xi Xiaye only smiled indifferently as she said calmly, "Miss Gu, you won't mind me being so frank, will you? I'm worried that if I beat around the bush, you might not understand."

"Alright, so we've met and talked. I'm done eating, so I'll make a move first." Xi Xiaye tossed the napkin aside and got up apathetically. Her frail and slender figure very quickly left her seat, yet just as she took a step, she suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Gu Lingsha whose expression had darkened. Xi Xiaye's long and fair fingers waved her black card as she smiled to say, "Miss Gu, let's pay for ourselves. I'll pay by card. Remember to pay for your share. Imperial Sky doesn't operate on a credit system here."

Then, she smiled sweetly before abruptly turning to leave.

"You..." Gu Lingsha's expression worsened further!

Xi Xiaye clearly saw that she had forgotten her handbag. Gu Lingsha wanted to make her look bad!

Not only were they not friends, but they might also even be enemies. Xi Xiaye would feel foolish for treating this tacky foe to a meal for nothing. Certainly, Mr. Mu's money was not meant to be wasted like that.

When she saw Xi Xiaye's figure vanish at the entrance, the light in Gu Lingsha's eyes faded.

Xi Xiaye! Wonderful, we'll see how wide your wings can spread when the time comes!

Gu Lingsha's expression sank as she balled her hands into fists. After a while, she waved for the waiter, asking him to follow her downstairs to get her handbag for the bill.

...

In the office of Glory World Corporation's Chairman.

Mu Yuchen sat on the lounge chair facing several large screens with a remote control in his hand. He was observing the looping news on the screen while his other hand grasped the cup of tea that had just been served. He sipped it from time to time.

Suddenly, there was a knock from outside, and he answered calmly without looking, "Come in!"

Then, the door was pushed open gently to reveal a gap before Xi Xiaye walked in carefully. When she saw the man on the lounge chair, she slowed down and gently closed in.

While Mu Yuchen was focused on watching the stock market on the screen in front of him, when the familiar fragrance seeped into his nostrils, he snapped back in an instant. He practically tossed away the remote control in the blink of an eye, circling his long arms around the woman's slender waist. His deep and gentle voice sounded particularly gentle in this large space. "Why are you here? Have you had lunch?"

Xi Xiaye stopped, quietly standing by his side and sighing lightly as she took the tea from his hand. She finished it in a few sips before setting the cup aside. Then, she said in a slightly raspy voice, "I came over to do a spot check. What's wrong? Am I not welcomed?"

Then, her brows raised as she smiled faintly at him with narrowed eyes.

He chuckled as his slender fingers slid down and accurately held hers. "Why wouldn't you be? I wish you could come every single day. What a coincidence! There's a charity award banquet tonight, and they want me to be a guest to give an award. Would you be willing to be my date, Missus?"

For such banquets, if Mu Yuchen had no way of rejecting them, he would go alone. Previously, when Xi Xiaye was more mobile, he could still be her date. When Xi Xiaye became less free, he would just go alone. No one had seen any other woman by his side apart from Xi Xiaye.

She knew that very well, which was why she would never reject him as she gladly nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Mu, for not turning your back on me."

He took a look at the teacup she set aside before he asked softly, "I'd turn my back on myself before I'd ever do that to you. Do you want more?"

Xi Xiaye shook her head, her long lashes flickering as she watched him for a moment. She suddenly bent down and went closer to his ears to say in a lowered voice, "Guess who I met earlier?"

"You know so many people. How am I supposed to guess? What did the doctor say? Has your body recovered?" There was a faint concern in his eyes.

"It's been two months. I'm almost there now. I just have to rest for a while more before I can return to work. I'm bored doing nothing at home all day. I feel like I've become sluggish now. They say one pregnancy makes you three years dumber, so I have to get back to my old self," she said as she caressed the ring on his finger, a little bored.

He smiled and dotingly opened his hands to let her play with. "As you wish. As long as you've recovered, Grandpa and I have pretty much arranged it all. Recently, Grandpa's been busy with the South River project too. If we don't get this bid, we'll have to pivot and develop Movie City. It might not be a good thing for us to be in the limelight too much."

"If we don't get the bid? How would things be on Qi Kai's end then? Qi Lei put his all in for the South River project." XI Xiaye looked at Mu Yuchen puzzledly.

"I've thought about that, but don't forget what Qi Kai did to build their riches. CEO Li has thought about scaling up Movie City. You know that Glory World doesn't have much experience in this field, and Chenye Movies and Television is still exploring our way forward."

"What do you plan on doing that? I'm worried that..." Xi Xiaye was confused right now. In the final months of her pregnancy, apart from paying attention to the South River project and Fuhua's matters, she did not have the energy to care much about anything else.

"Grandpa came looking for me a few days ago. He said he has his own plans. Even after we get the bid, the price for that land won't be cheap. The risk is high. You now know that property development is in a slump. I advised Grandpa to diversify his developments. Working on the Movie City development, or building an entertainment center would be better than just another office or residential building."

Mu Yuchen roughly knew what Shen Yue was thinking about. A while back, he heard Li Si say that Shen Yue had asked Lang Zilang to check on his past relationship with Qi Qiming and the rest.

Xi Xiaye fell silent for a while, then she decided not to continue asking. "Okay then. I won't interfere with this matter. However, I hope that you can all be nice to Qi Lei. It's tough for him. Everyone's treating him like a chess piece, and I don't think he'd feel too happy about that."

"Are you feeling sorry for him now?" Upon hearing her say that, he smiled faintly at her with squinted eyes.

Xi Xiaye sighed and then smiled calmly before replying disappointedly, "I just feel a little sad seeing that. I don't know why but seeing him like that makes me think of myself in the past. I went through helplessness and difficulties. Of course, I hope he won't go through the same things I did. He's a pretty decent person, and decent people should receive good karma."