Mou Yichen raised his wrist to check his watch and said gently, “Please await me for another fifteen minutes. I have to finish this case first. There is a newly opened restaurant near here. I want to take you there for a meal.”

Yun Muxi nodded, sat down on a sofa, and started checking her phone.

She felt bored and logged in WeChat that she rarely used. Just as she logged in, she received several messages in succession. She clicked them and found that they all came from Lu Yang.

“Xiao Xi, we haven’t seen each other for a while. How have you been?”

“Xiao Xi, it seems that you really seldom use WeChat. Even I, who use it not very often, use it more frequently than you.”

“Xiao Xi, I’ve been busy with exercising. When I’m free later, I’ll go to see you.”

“Xiao Xi, why didn’t you reply to my messages? Didn’t you see them?”

“Xiao Xi, our exercise will be ended the day after tomorrow. When will you be free that I can go to see you?”

“Xiao Xi, I heard a funny joke today. One day, Kongzi(Confucius) went to Laozi and said to him, ‘I have one thing to discuss with you—I’m born in Shandong Province, and you’re born in Shanxi Province. However, yesterday, there was a Korean ambassador who wanted me to send you the message that both you and I were Korean. He wanted to give us Korean citizenship. What do you say to whether we should accept it or not?’ Laozi was very surprised at it and asked at once, ‘Why would they regard us as Korean?’ Kongzi replied, ‘He said that because we have similar nicknames—Laozi, Kongzi, and they are also called Bangzi.'”

Reading this, Yun Muxi could not help letting out laughter.

Mou Yichen raised his head in confusion and asked her with a smile, “What’s so funny?”

Yun Muxi shook her head and answered, “It’s nothing more than a funny joke. Finish your job first and I’ll tell you later.”

Right then, Mou Yichen’s cell phone rang. He took a look at the caller’s ID before answering it with a frown. “Hello? …No! I’ll explain it to you when I get home tonight.”

In no time, Mou Yichen hung up the phone. Yun Muxi looked up at him, confused, asking in a soft voice, “Are you going to have other business to deal with? If so, we can eat together someday else. I’ll go now.”

A cold expression ran across Mou Yichen’s face before he looked gentle again. He answered in a casual tone, “No.”

However, an unpleasant feeling of anger had risen in his heart…

Yun Muxi missed the change of Mou Yichen’s expression. She looked down at her cell phone and sent a message back to Lu Yang. “I’m doing all good. It’s just that I’m a little busy these days. I’ll start acting in a film from tomorrow, so I’ll be busy in the following long period.”

Soon, Mou Yichen finished his work. He put on his suit jacket, picked up his cell phone and car key, and walked to Yun Muxi while saying in a soft voice, “Let’s go for our lunch.”

Yun Muxi looked at him and nodded. She followed him out of the office. Though it was time for noon break, the stuff all worked hard that day that no one left their position for lunch. When Mou Yichen and Yun Muxi walked out of the office, they all pretended to be concentrated in their work, but in fact, they watched Mou Yichen and Yun Muxi all the way to the elevator with the corner of their eyes.

Mou Yichen spotted a fallen eyelash on the corner of Yun Muxi’s eyes and removed it away carefully. The staff was amazed to see this as if they had found a new land. When the door of the elevator opened, Mou Yichen hugged her slightly when they got in. His care for her confirmed the stuff’s guess that she would be their boss’s wife in the future.

When the door shut, the office was in an uproar immediately. The hot topic of that day became even hotter among them. The romantic affair about the two spread everywhere like flying sakura.

…

Mou Yichen drove Yun Muxi to a newly opened Chinese restaurant nearby. The decoration style of the restaurant was elegant and comfortable and fitted Yun Muxi’s taste very well. Mou Yichen brought her to a table by the window in the corner and passed the menu to her while saying, “Have a look and order anything you like. The food here tastes good. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Yun Muxi shook her head with a smile. “No, it’s better to leave the order to you. You know, I’m not good at choosing food. Moreover, you’re more familiar with this restaurant than me.”

Mou Yichen took back the menu from her. He finally ordered four dishes and a soup, which were what Yun Muxi liked.

After this, he handed a handkerchief to Yun Muxi carefully and picked up one as well to clean his hands while asking casually, “You just said that you had read a funny joke?”

Yun Muxi nodded and started telling Mou Yichen the joke she had read from Lu Yang’s message, however, before she could finish it, she laughed out herself first.

Mou Yichen digested her words for a while and laughed as well. In fact, the joke did not sound funny to Mou Yichen, but, seeing Yun Muxi’s happy smile, he was moved and could not help laughing with her.

When they could hold their laughter, Mou Yichen spoke again, “Are you busy these days, Xiao Xi? If time allows, I want to take Niannian to an amusement park to have fun. I haven’t taken her there for a long time.”

Yun Muxi pondered for a while before replying in a flat tone, “Well, I’m afraid we can’t get such a chance in the following several days. The film set has been starting up, and I’m chosen as the main actress by the director. The shooting work will be started tomorrow.”

Mou Yichen glanced at Yun Muxi in surprise and asked curiously, “Really? You want to start a career in film and television industries, Xiao Xi?”

Yun Muxi shook her head and answered indifferently, “No! It’s just a result of circumstances… Alas! It’s complicated to explain. I really have no plan to start a career in acting, and I feel helpless that the things have come to such a pass.”

Mou Yichen nodded at her words. “I see. I’ve been wondering why you suddenly made such a decision and guessed that it’s not out of your will. However, since you’ve made up your mind, I believe you can do it well. You have always turned out to be an impressive person whatever you do. I have faith in you.”

Yun Muxi pretended to be angry as she spoke. “Don’t tease me. I know what I can do. No matter how good I performed in the study, I’m not cut out for acting.”

Mou Yichen tittered and said, “Well, I can’t believe there is something that our super scholar is not good at. In view of this, I really want to have a try.”

Yun Muxi leaned against the chair with her head thrown back, looking dispirited while complaining. “To tell the truth, I really fear to do this acting. It really puts me on the spot, and I feel miserable for myself even when thinking of it.”

Their dishes were placed on the table one after another, and Mou Yichen said to Yun Muxi, “Alright. Before we bemoan our fate, let’s fill our stomach first. It’s the first time that I’ve seen you being daunted by something difficult. I’m really shocked.”

…

After the lunch, Mou Yichen drove Yun Muxi home and then went back to his work. At the end of the day, he went home from work with a headache.

When he walked in his house, his mother was sitting on a sofa, looking as if she was waiting for him on purpose.

He changed his shoes, took off his overcoat, and put it on a coat hanger with his briefcase before walking over to her. “Mom,” he called gently.

His mother’s face darkened and she declared her intention immediately, saying, “Tell me, what’s wrong with you?”

Mou Yichen kneaded the muscle between his eyebrows and sat down on the sofa beside her. He answered in a flat tone, “What do you mean? I just invited a friend for lunch, and since it was early at that time, I told her to wait for me in my office. She waited there for a little while.”

His mother’s face went black, and she asked angrily, “Friend? Which friend? Is it Yun Muxi? I’ve told you to break off with her during all these years. Why didn’t you listen to me?”

Mou Yichen looked unpleasant as he replied, “Mom, I’ve explained to you so many times. She is my good friend, and I care for her very much, but, we’re just friends, nothing else. You’re prejudiced against her, and she is not the girl that you think. How many times do I have to explain that to you to make you understand it?”

His mother looked even more terrible and got even angrier. “I’m prejudiced against her? Have you ever seen a good girl bear a child at such a young age as a single mother? She may be able to cheat others, but she can’t cheat me. You’ve held a different feeling toward her since you were in high school. At that time, thinking that she studied well and that her parents were doctors and educated her well, I didn’t say anything about your affection to her. However, she’s not the person that she looks like. I never thought she would do such a thing. Shameless! She had a child with an unknown man who broke up with her, and now, she turns her target to you. She is so scheming!”

Mou Yichen darkened his face as well and shouted furiously, “Mom, you can’t defame her like this! Xiao Xi must have her own difficulties at that time. Moreover, it’s me who pursue her, nor her taking me as a rebound guy. I’ve fallen in love with her since I was in high school. “From the very first of the beginning, it’s me who has been wooing her, but she never accepted me. If she is really shameless as you said, she would have accepted me from long ago and it wouldn’t have been so hard for me to win her favor.”

Mou Yichen’s mother rose up from the sofa in anger and pointed at his nose while rebuking him. “Yichen, listen. I’ll never allow you to be together with her. You’d better never think about it. There are so many good and honest girls in the world, and why did you fall in love with such a shameless one? Tell you what, even if she accepts you someday, I’ll not agree about your being couple unless I die. Wait and see!”

Mou Yichen felt that his mother was deaf to all words at that moment when she was in anger. They had argued this matter so many times, but, no matter how earnestly he tried to convince her, she still thought Yun Muxi a dishonorable girl and would not accept her, ignoring all her excellence.

Mou Yichen did not want to argue with his mother anymore, so, he turned back and went into his own room on upstairs in a great rage.

Seeing Mou Yichen’s attitude, his mother got even more furious. She continued rebuking him, who was already on upstairs. “Look at yourself! How bad your attitude is towards me now! You’re tempted by that women and don’t respect me anymore. If you keep turning a deaf ear to my words like this, don’t blame me for taking up the matter myself.”

…