Dinner ti found everyone gathered around the table, engaged in lively chatter.
The Mu Family wasn’t one for strict formalities like "eat without talking and sleep without uttering a word."
The two little ones sat between Xu Wanqing and Mu Hongsheng, who kept adding dishes to their plates until they were filled with fish and shrimp.
Fu Jinyan furrowed his brow, "Grandpa, look at this. My brother and I ate the sa amount, so why am I heavier than he is? You’re making up stuff without a shred of sha!"
Xu Wanqing glared at Mu Hongsheng, "That’s enough. Don’t you dare say our Yanyan is heavy again, got it?"
Mu Hongsheng nodded repeatedly, "Won’t say it, won’t say it. At most, I’ll say that the clothes are one size bigger than Anan’s. But making up stuff without a shred of sha?"
Fu Jinyan hopped off his chair and ran to retrieve his tablet from the sofa, "You should surf the internet more often, Grandpa, or you’ll be left behind by the tis. Look at this saying!"
The little boy earnestly explained so internet slang to Mu Hongsheng.
An Yan suddenly spoke up, "Yanyan, do you have a ’Friends Circle’?"
Fu Jinyan nodded, "Of course! All the kids in my class are connected through WeChat."
An Yan asked, "Any recent updates from your classmates?"
Fu Jinyan, curious about An Yan’s sudden interest, exchanged a glance with Fu Mu’an.
Fu Mu’an tapped the screen, "If Mom asks you to look, then take a look."
With an "Oh," Fu Jinyan opened up his ’Friends Circle.’
"Whoa!"
Everyone’s attention turned toward him.
Fu Jinyan looked at Mu Shaoze, who’d been gloomy, "Fourth Uncle, Pig Demon Auntie is getting married tomorrow! Too bad the groom isn’t you!"
Mu Shaoze’s chopsticks clattered to the table as he stood up and rushed outside.
Suddenly rembering sothing, he doubled back to the dining room and looked at An Yan, "Little Five!"
An Yan nodded, "I’ll unblock her right away."
Mu Shaoze returned to his room to pack so clothes quickly, grabbed his car keys, and hurried off.
Back in the dining room, Fu Jinyan fluttered his large, dark eyes, "So, Fourth Uncle is embarking on a chase across a thousand miles for his wife?"
Fu Mu’an stroked his little chin, "Is this what they call a funeral pyre of wife chasing in the legends?"
An excited Fu Jinyan turned to his mother, "Mom, you indirectly told Fourth Uncle that Pig Demon Auntie is getting married! Did you already know?"
An Yan’s lips curled slightly, "Should I have known?"
Fu Mu’an clicked his tongue, "Just one look at Mom’s expression tells us she knew everything but just didn’t want to tell Fourth Uncle. Mom, you’re so naughty!"
Xu Wanqing was very surprised, "How could Zhou Ziqiao get married so quickly? I thought Shaoze and she might get back together. I really liked that girl."
Mu Hongsheng harrumphed, "Who can stand your son’s bad temper? Always so arrogant and self-centered—now let him taste the consequences of his own actions."
Mu Shaoci sighed softly, "You didn’t see how Shaoze humiliated the girl at the night market. If you had, you’d want to kick him out of the Mu Family."
Even Mu Boyan nodded in agreent, "If Zhou Ziqiao were a daughter of the Mu Family, Shaoze would be the last person she should marry."
Puzzled, Xu Wanqing frowned, "Night market? What do you an?"
Fu Jinyan pulled up a video, "Grandma, take a look. I won’t watch it—it’s not suitable for children."
Fu Mu’an rolled his eyes, "How would you know it’s not suitable for children if you hadn’t watched it?"
Fu Jinyan huffed, "Didn’t you watch it too?"
Defiantly, Fu Mu’an jutted his chin up, "So what? Mom and Dad kiss on the lips every day, especially before getting in the car."
Fu Shiyan: "..."
An Yan: "..."
An Yan glared fiercely at Fu Shiyan, whispering, "Didn’t you say you didn’t see it?"
Fu Shiyan replied, "They’re too cunning, just pretending not to see is all."
An Yan, "Suit yourself, you two little rascals!"
anwhile, Xu Wanqing watched the video and heard what Mu Shaoze had said, shaking with rage, "That little bastard, treating Ziqiao like that! He should taste the flas of a furious wife hunt!"
Then, she turned to Mu Shaoci and Mu Boyan, "Both of you are almost forty and can’t even bring a girlfriend ho, worthless!"
Mu Shaoci: "..."
Mu Boyan: "..."
Is this what they call being shot while lying down?
In the darkness of night, a black Rolls-Royce Ghost sped along the highway.
The half-lowered window allowed the autumn wind to rush in, whipping up Mu Shaoze’s dyed black hair and revealing his sharply contoured face.
This face, usually so unruly and untad, now looked deeply lancholic and dejected.
For the twenty-odd days he had lost contact with Zhou Ziqiao, each day had been excruciating, as if his heart had been violently ripped out, a pain so intense it left him gasping for breath.
He had never imagined that a woman would creep into his heart, take root, and sprout so subtly. Recalling the five years they spent together, he found he rembered everything vividly.
He had sorted out his feelings, realizing that if that night’s incident had not occurred with Zhou Ziqiao and if she had been with soone else, he wouldn’t have been able to stand it either.
He finally understood completely—he was fond of Zhou Ziqiao.
No, more accurately, he had fallen in love with her.
Heeding An Yan’s advice, he gave Zhou Ziqiao so ti to clear her mind and relax, careful not to anger or push her too far.
But what he didn’t expect was that the next piece of news he heard about her would be that she was getting married.
Now, the thought that she was getting married—and the groom was not him—consud him.
His lips pressed tightly together, he prayed that she would wait a little longer for him.
He knew he was being selfish, as she had waited for him for five years, but he still wanted her to wait just a bit more, not to marry soone else.
Soon he arrived at the Mu Corporation’s private airport and boarded a luxurious jet bound for Country C.
Private planes had the capability to make phone calls and access the internet.
Mu Shaoze’s number had been blacklisted by Zhou Ziqiao. He could have circumvented it, but he knew she wouldn’t answer if she saw his number.
Using an internet phone call, he dialed Zhou Ziqiao’s number, but as soon as he said a word, the call was cut off, followed by her phone being switched off.
Mu Shaoze lit a cigarette, ash accumulating in a long trail, but he didn’t take a single puff.
She must really hate him...
At the sa ti, Zhou Ziqiao stared blankly at her darkened phone screen until there was a knock on the door.
She got out of bed and, shuffling in her slippers, went to open the door.
Mother Zhou stood outside, holding a tray, "I’ve stewed so cubilose for you, have a bit."
Zhou Ziqiao picked up the bowl and gulped down the cubilose.
"Did you take your folic acid?"
"I’ve already taken it, you’ve asked several tis today."
Mother Zhou smiled, "This is my first ti being a grandmother, I’m naturally a bit anxious. Who would’ve thought, after all is said and done, you’d end up with Nanli."
"Mom, I’m tired, I’d like to go to sleep."
Mother Zhou nodded, "Sleep, sleep. Now’s the ti you’ll feel most sleepy."
Zhou Ziqiao managed a small smile, "Alright."
The mont she closed the door, her smile gradually faded.
Returning to her bed, she lay on her side, hand resting on her lower abdon, and closed her eyes.
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