A short silence occurred around Xi Xinyi after she finished her sentence. Xi Xiaye noticed the gazes from all around them and she frowned slightly. She nearly forgot what day it was today.

"What did you do to her? Or what is your aim? Why do you need to befriend her and have her give you a chance?" A quiet voice broke the silence. It was Mu Yuchen who had been silent this whole time.

He spoke as he grabbed a paper towel from Ah Mo, handing it to Xi Xiaye while his eyes were staring at Xi Xinyi. Xi Xinyi felt like she had nowhere to run under his gaze. She looked downwards out of fear and avoided looking into his eyes.

Due to Mu Yuchen's overpowering aura, Xi Xinyi could not stand it anymore and dragged Han Yifeng beside her. She mumbled, "Chairman Mu, Sister and I just have... some misunderstandings, so…"

"Xinyi!" Han Yifeng suddenly called out to her and pulled her closer to him. His eyes met with Mu Yuchen's gaze. Just as he was about to say something, Xi Xiaye emptied the half-filled glass and handed it to a waiter nearby. She told Mu Yuchen, "I'll go and wash my hands."

Mu Yuchen glanced back at her, knowing that she was worried this might mess up the event's atmosphere. He nodded and adjusted the shawl on her shoulder. "Come back quickly."

Her slender figure vanished in the crowd after a brief reply…

"I don't care what misunderstandings you've had with Xiaye in the past, but you're the first one daring enough to pull such tricks right before me," Mu Yuchen stated indifferently as he looked at Xi Xinyi,

Xi Xinyi's face turned even paler. Even though his tone of voice was calm, she could not take the strong aura radiating from his eyes. She fretted while trying to explain, "That's not it, Chairman Mu, Sister and I…"

Mu Yuchen did not bother to listen to her explanation. He glanced over at Han Yifeng and said quietly, "CEO Han, I hope there's no more next time for what happened today."

Before Han Yifeng could react, Mu Yuchen walked past him.

Han Yifeng's expression darkened as Mu Yuchen marched past him coldly. His dark eyes turned icy as he suddenly moved Xi Xinyi's hand onto his arm. He glared at her sharply and made her panic.

"Yifeng, I didn't! You have to believe me!" Xi Xinyi grabbed onto his sleeve out of trepidation while tears appeared on the verge of her eyes. She seemed really frail and innocent.

Han Yifeng stared at her for a long time. His eyes and emotions were getting more and more complicated. After a while, he said, "That's enough. Get back to your seat."

"Cousin!" Huang Shanshan caught up to them and studied Han Yifeng worriedly.

"Let her get some rest. I'll go out to take a breather." Han Yifeng put the wine glass in his hand away before leaving.



Inside the washroom, Xi Xiaye stood before the tap and washed her hands quietly. She raised her head and saw her somewhat exhausted face. Her eyes had dark rings around them. She splashed some water onto her face and felt refreshed when she looked at her face once again, letting out a sigh of relief.

After she was done, she walked through the long corridor upon leaving the washroom. To her surprise, she saw Han Yifeng smoking in a corner. He seemed lonely as she watched his large figure from afar.

Her steps faltered slightly, but she did not stop at all. She averted her gaze and pretended as if she did not see anything, intending to walk away quietly.

Although that was what she thought, before she could even inch away, Han Yifeng had already turned to her and walked towards her.

"Xiaye…" He called out to her when her head was lowered and seemingly wanted to avoid him as he stepped forward.

"What's wrong, CEO Han?"

She stopped before him, raising her head and glowering at him directly. "If you're here to talk about Xi Xinyi, or to warn me not to harm her again, please go back and tell her that I wouldn't do anything against people who have done nothing to me. If I'm threatened, I'll surely repay it the same way!"

Han Yifeng's heart clenched when he heard her words. The light in his eyes quieted down and after giving it some thought, he said, "It's not about Xinyi. I have something to ask you."

Xi Xiaye glanced at him coldly. He asked straight before she could even reply, "You... Are you married... to Mu Yuchen?"

His eyes moved downwards as he asked, focusing on her left ring finger. That silver shine was so obvious and bright, strong enough to hurt his eyes.

Xi Xiaye smirked, not hiding anything at all before admitting, "Yes, you're right. We got married long before your engagement with Xi Xinyi, so you don't have to worry that I'll bother you ever again. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

"Why?" Han Yifeng looked into her eyes and asked quietly, "If you're doing so out of spite…"

Xi Xiaye's smile seemed a little empty, but her tone of voice was extremely determined. "You think too highly of yourself, Han Yifeng. I want myself to know that I don't only belong to one person. Starting a new life isn't bad at all."

"Mu Yuchen isn't someone you can control, Xiaye! Do you even know him well? Does Uncle Xi know that you're married? As well as your grandfather and grandmother…"

Xi Xiaye shut him up before he could finish his sentence. "I have no more links to the Xi family anymore. If that makes it clearer to all of you, I don't mind changing my surname to Shen! I don't care who Mu Yuchen is. He's treating me absolutely well, so why shouldn't I marry him?"

"But you don't love him, do you?" Han Yifeng watched her closely and asked.

Xi Xiaye was startled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath., "One doesn't have to be in love to marry someone. If you don't understand what I want even now... Ah, of course, you wouldn't understand. What I want is very simple. If he can treat me well, I don't care about anything else."

Her voice sounded bitter. Her tiny figure went past him as she spoke, "We're back to our starting point now. Now, we can leave each other alone. I don't want to look back at our past anymore. However, the conflict between Xi Xinyi and I won't just stop all of a sudden. If you continue to support them, I won't go easy on you."

Her voice entered his ears like a sharp wind, stunning Han Yifeng.