nodding, xi xiaye turned around to change her shoes on the porch before walking in.
“have some tea.”
when zhuang shurong saw xi xiaye’s silhouette, her face that was tense with concern eased a little.
“thank you, mother.” xi xiaye sat down on the sofa aside, took the tea, and had a simple sip.
mu lingshi’s anxious voice was then heard. “sister-in-law, how’s it? haven’t you and brother sent people to search for them? how are things now? did you find them?”
her anxious voice was mixed with endless worry. mu lingshi knew ah mo well too. he would never just disappear without a word. even if he was doing some kind of mission, he would inform her beforehand so that the family would not worry, and of course, he had told her that he was going to be home soon.
“ah shi, calm down. there isn’t any news now, but with ah mo’s abilities, he’ll be fine,” xi xiaye consoled as she reached out to hold her slightly cold fingertips. “the most important thing you have to do right now is take care of yourself and your baby.”
as mu lingshi took a deep breath, her hands clenched into fists and she said in a daze, “i know. i’m just afraid…worried…he’s never been like this…”
“just trust him, okay? don’t be too worried. we’ll let you know first if there’s anything. your brother should be back in a few days’ time. it’ll be fine. sit down. i’ll go take a look in the kitchen.”
xi xiaye was about to get up when zhuang shurong pulled her back and said calmly, “it’s okay, xiaye. sit with her for a while. i’ll go manage things and make you some dishes to take them home. you don’t look too well, so rest more. these things can’t be rushed.”
“mother…”
“it’s alright. sit. i know that you probably have to go home later, but it’ll be quick,” zhuang shurong said, and then walked to the kitchen.
“sit down. you’re rarely home. don’t busy yourself. are things at work all good?” mu yinan spoke up in time as he looked at xi xiaye with eyes that contained faint concern.
xi xiaye gratefully met with his gaze. “apart from the usual hecticness, all’s well. thank you, grandfather.”
he nodded. “you have to watch your own health too. maintain some balance between work and rest. we’ve heard about zimo’s situation in new york. ah chen, zimo, and su chen are three buddies who have grown up together, so they have a very strong bond. i hope you can be understanding of him.”
upon hearing that, xi xiaye smiled. “grandfather, don’t worry. i understand. things over there are almost settled. don’t worry. ah chen should be returning soon, so, ah shi, you don’t have to be worried. it’ll be fine.”
mu lingshi’s eyes were a little dark, but she could only nod. “i guess that’s all it can be for now. just believe him, trust him…”
dinner was soon ready. the dishes had just been served when mu tangchuan returned. the whole family had a simple dinner, then xi xiaye talked to mu lingshi for a while before she was about to go home.
zhuang shurong prepared some dishes for her to take home. however, mu tangchuan was the one who walked her out.
“father, you can go back in now.” xi xiaye was actually shocked by mu tangchuan’s actions. it seemed like he had something to say to her, but…
she did not guess wrongly. just as she said that, mu tangchuan interrupted, “hold on, xiaye, there’s something i want to ask you.” mu tangchuan’s loving voice was heard.
xi xiaye quickly stopped her steps and turned to look at him. “father, what is it?”
mu tangchuan nodded before he thought about it more, then said, “did ah chen ask you to find someone to investigate the accident from six years ago?”
lingtian’s incident?
xi xiaye paused. without hiding, she nodded to say, “yes, he’s always been suspicious about the accident years ago, so he planned to investigate in secret once again. father, with the way ah chen is, do you still not understand? he’s trying to find a reason for him to truly let go. however, his doubts aren’t unfounded. no matter what, i’m willing to believe him, and go with him.”
after she said this, mu tangchuan’s gentle and elegant face very quickly flashed with a smile. he beamed happily. “very good, xiaye. if you can think that way, i’m very glad. since he’s mentioned this to you on his own accord, i trust that you roughly know what happened years ago.”
“mmm, i’m generally clear about what happened. you actually want to bring doris up, don’t you?” xi xiaye was not slow either, so she could catch the hint between his words.indeed, once she said that, mu tangchuan did not deny it. “mmm, i should ask ah chen these things, but you know, he doesn’t want to mention this to us. even if it’s to help, your mother-in-law and i, we both…”
“don’t worry, father, it’s not that he doesn’t want to talk about it to the two of you. he just thinks that some things will trouble you and mother. i didn’t plan to bring it up to you, but since you’ve brought it up today, i’ll let you know that the entire situation was actually probably one whereby everyone tried to get what they wanted. perhaps, from that time onwards, doris already knew about gu qiwu and aunt’s relationship…sometimes, a person’s greed can be terrifying, not just doris, but perhaps lingtian…”
at this juncture, xi xiaye did not continue, yet mu tangchuan’s profound eyes unconsciously darkened. clearly, he understood what she meant.
“father, actually, i have a feeling that the thing with qi lei and ah mo this time is the finishing point of this whole thing. their disappearance is no coincidence. perhaps, it has been planned for a long time now.”
“are you suspecting that it might have something to do with doris? do you have a basis?” mu tangchuan asked.
xi xiaye shook her head gently. “if we’re going to talk about evidence, then i don’t have any. it’s just an instinct. since it’s happened, there should be a reason. qi lei left qi kai a while ago and said that he wants to start his own thing while qi qiming unexpectedly defended him in public. on the surface, it was for qi kai and the qi family, but we can’t neglect that the person whose benefits are directly harmed is qi feng, so he’s got a huge motive. we can’t neglect that aspect. father, i suggest that we thoroughly do a check on qi feng. perhaps, we might find something unexpected.”
“don’t you worry about that. i didn’t forget all the things that should be done,” mu tangchuan replied with a smile.
