The next day, Shang Yiqi's body was much better. When Gu Xiyuan woke up, Shang Yiqi was enthusiastically playing with a strand of her hair.

  "Qi, why don't you sleep more?" The newly awakened Gu Xiyan had a few points of lovely and cute flavor, and she coquettishly said a sentence. Her pair of scissors-like eyes were shining brightly, which was beautiful.

  Shang Yi didn't say a word, and brushed away the hair covering Gu Xiyan's forehead. His lips touched her smooth forehead, then gently pressed against her pink nose, finally landing on her lips.

  After a long time, they parted ways.

  There was a bit of astringency in his mouth, and it felt dry. He didn't want to pass this astringent feeling on to her, so he hesitated and didn't probe further into her mouth with his tongue.

  After finishing breakfast, the phone at home rang. Gu Xiyan glanced at the number and quickly picked up the phone: "Mom."

  "Xiao Yan, is Xiao Qi at home?" The person on the other end of the phone recognized Gu Xiyan's voice.

  "Mom, I'm here, accompanying Yan'er right now." Gu Xiyan replied truthfully.

  "Xiao Yan, if Xiao Qi is free, ask him to come over right now. Xiao Xiao has been acting out at home, causing a ruckus and making it impossible for her parents to have any peace. Your uncle Mu said Xiao Xiao insists on seeing Xiao Qi, I don't know what to do..."

  After Shang Yi drove away, Xiao Yao snuggled into Gu Xiyan's arms: "Mommy, did Daddy go to see Mu Ayi?"

  "Don't worry about it, kid." Gu Xiyan picked up Xiaotou and headed upstairs.

  "Mommy, Wooden Auntie must like Daddy." The little girl was decisive and had a bit of an adult-like demeanor.

  "Yan'er, who told you all these things?" Gu Xiyan's smile was tinged with tears.

  "Mommy, aren't you worried that Mu Auntie likes Daddy? What if she takes Daddy away from us? Yan'er doesn't like Mu Auntie." Two chubby little fists were clenched, and the little girl was indignant.

  "Alright, Yan'er, children shouldn't talk nonsense. Don't interfere with grown-up matters, just focus on doing your homework." After putting down Xiao Yaotou, Gu Xiyuan gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

  "Mommy, anyway, Yan'er doesn't like her." The little girl took out her homework and started writing after entering the room, her small face scrunched up.

  Gu Xiyan saw Xiao Yatou's obviously unhappy expression and subtly shook her head. Yan'er was still young, how could she understand the ways of adults? In this world, what belongs to you, no one can take away; if it can be taken away, then it doesn't belong to you.

  ==

  "Brother Qi, why don't you like me? I've liked you since we were little, and we used to be so close when we were young. Why did everything change as we grew up? You started to distance yourself from me... what did I do wrong? Tell me, and I'll change, okay?" Li Hua's small face was streaked with tears, her eyes red and swollen, as she sobbed pitifully like a small animal, throwing herself into Shang Yue Qi's arms and grasping at his clothes.

  If it weren't for his mother and Mu Shu's pleading, Shang Yue would not have taken the initiative to step into this room. The person in front of him was crying so hard that it seemed like she wanted to shed all her tears. Shang Yue was not a person who easily showed emotions, even though the woman in his arms was someone he had known since childhood, and his current mood was also frighteningly calm.

  "Hey Qi Ge, I remember it so clearly, more than three years ago, I boarded the flight back to our country with a heart full of joy. The moment I stepped onto the plane, I naively thought that as long as I returned home, I could fulfill my childhood dream. That is, to marry you." Mu Shanshan seemed to have gone back to the day she returned home, and even now, she could still feel the excitement in her heart, the joy overflowing from her chest.

  Her tone suddenly changed, and her voice choked up again: "But, Qi Gege, what was waiting for me when I returned to the country? How could you marry another woman? Didn't you know I liked you? Qi Gege, I always thought that one day we would enter the marriage hall together. I thought you also liked me, otherwise why were there so many girls around you, but you only talked to me, only chatted with me? Qi Gege, didn't you like me?" Mu Shaohua suddenly looked at Shang Yiqi's eyes with full of hope, hoping to see a hint of tenderness and love in his eyes.

  In Shang Yi's eyes, there was a profound and deep silence that made it impossible for people to see through. The wood-like expectation in his silence was being eroded inch by inch until all that was left was desolation and darkness. She had simply fallen in love with him, she had only yearned to get his attention, no matter how little. Why? Why couldn't he just look at her straight in the eye?

  She loves him! How long has she loved him? So long that even she can't remember. Maybe it was the elegant and cool demeanor of that handsome young man when they first met, or maybe it was the warm and gentle back of that boy who walked her home under the beautiful sunset glow, or maybe it was the first cup of hot drink he made for her on a cold and lonely night when she was staying at his place... If you don't love me, why do you make me remember so many good things about you?

  The tears at the corner of Muxiao's eyes surged more violently, and a wet patch appeared on Shang Yue's outer garment.

  "Xiao Xiao, find a good man to marry, I'm not suitable for you." Shang Qi finally spoke up, but it was to push Mu Xiao Xiao into an even deeper despair.

  "What's so good about her, Qi Ge? She's just a mysterious woman with a seductive face. A fox spirit like her must have been slept with by countless men..." Mu Shuangshuang's heart was suddenly entwined with dense poisonous threads, and the deep-seated jealousy burst out, she couldn't hold back her curses anymore.

  His hand on her shoulder suddenly tightened, and his eyes were no longer calm. A storm raged in his icy gaze, and a suffocating sense of oppression emanated from him.

  "Ah!", it hurts! Mu Xiao Xiao painfully cried out: "Qi Gege, what's wrong with you? It really hurts!"

  Shang Yi withdrew his hand from the wooden shoulder, and the faint sense of guilt that had just sprouted also disappeared. "It's a pity she's my wife. Don't let me hear such words again in the future, otherwise..."

  Shang Yi stopped talking, but his expression said it all. Mu Xiao Xiao's body trembled as she listened, and she fiercely wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. She accused: "Gege, have you fallen in love with that woman? What about me? What should I do? I've waited for you for so many years, hoping that you would divorce her and come back to me. Can't you spare some love for me? Is it because I went abroad for a few years and gave her the opportunity? If that's the case, I'd rather have never gone abroad."

  "Love?" Shang Qi whispered to himself.

  Muxiao Muxiao sniffed, her pure eyes stuck to Shang Yueqi's body. He was always so eye-catching, with a combination of appearance, family background, talent, and ambition. Such a man, she had been in love with since childhood, never changing. Suddenly, a crazy obsession sprouted in Muxiao Muxiao's mind - she wanted to get this man, no matter what! Even if it meant being an enemy of the whole world.

  He lowered his head, seeing the determination in Mu Xi's eyes, and felt a little annoyed. He was tired of this entanglement, and as for her constant talk of love, he couldn't tell what was true or false. What is love? He really didn't know. In his heart, he just hoped to maintain the status quo, living a peaceful and stable life with Yan Er and Xi.

  Black patent leather shoes stepped on the soft red carpet, without making a sound. Shang Xi walked to the window and opened a gap, letting in cold air that dispersed his stuffiness.

  "I'm not your good man, forget me." A chill gradually rose on his body, Shang Si suddenly closed the window and said a sentence to Mu Xiao Xiao from a few steps away before turning around and leaving without hesitation.

  When Shang Yi was about to step out of the door, Mu Xiao seemed to have just accepted the information that he was leaving. "Gege, don't go, I love you." Mu Xiao hugged him from behind.