Ch. 491..500

Marry Me Quick Chapter 491-Ziyue chatted with Shichu for a bit before bringing him and Enxue to the private room.

When they entered the room, Xia and Jingshu were talking happily with Zixi.

"Look who's here, Zixi?"

Ziyue walked to Zixi and picked him up.

A while ago, he kept asking to meet Enxue. When he saw her, he went blank for a minute before returning to his senses as though he couldn't recognize her at first glance.

After making sure it was her, he smiled and reached out to her. "En… En…"

Though Ziyue knew Enxue was an important person to Zixi, as a mother, she still felt slightly jealous.

After all, he grew up with her. Even though most of the time, there were nannies who took care of him, they spent two years together, and Enxue truly loved him.

She looked at him closely before holding him in her arms. "Wow, you have grown so much!", said Enxue.

At first glance, she noticed that he had grown up quite a bit, but it was only until she held him that she realized he had gotten much heavier.

Ziyue added, "He was whining about wanting to meet you earlier."

They chatted with each other until Chuan arrived.

As soon as he entered her room, he said respectfully, "Mrs. Qin, Mr. Qin asked you to go to the hall."

She nodded at him with a smile. "Alright. I'll be right there."

With that, she waved to Zixi. "Baby, let's go find Daddy."

Zixi stirred in Enxue's embrace, but he quickly returned to her with an unwilling expression.

Compared to Ziyue, he was more familiar with Enxue and was naturally dependent on her.

Though it was expected, Ziyue froze. It has been a few months since I took care of him. Yet, he still prefers Enxue.

Upon seeing that, Enxue was also slightly taken aback. Then, she said half-jokingly, "It seems like this little guy prefers me."

Ziyue forced a smile.

Zixi lowered his head and fumbled his tiny fingers, protesting his refusal to leave silently.

Xia, silent all this while, suddenly interjected, "You can head over first. I'll bring Zixi over later."

Ziyue looked at her hesitantly. It was not the first time Zixi wanted to see his 'En En.' This showed that he really missed her, and since he wanted to be with her, Ziyue didn't want to force him to do otherwise.

"Just go. Mr. Qin already asked Chuan to look for you. I'm sure he has something to speak to you about. After Zixi spends some time with Ms. Lin, I'll bring him to you." While speaking, Xia shoved Ziyue out of the room.

Even though Ziyue didn't really trust Enxue, she was not worried with n Xia there. With a nod of her head, she left.

Right after that, the atmosphere in the room immediately changed.

Ziyue had already told Xia everything about her and Enxue.

From Ziyue's account, Enxue seemed to be a kind and strong woman.

However, when Xia met her in person, she felt otherwise.

"It's difficult taking care of a small child. Ms. Lin, it must have been quite difficult to take care of Zixi for two years," Xia commented with a smile.

When Enxue heard that, her expression immediately changed.

Apart from Shichu, everyone knew what she was implying.

Xia was quite a sharp person. She deliberately said that after noticing Enxue's feelings for Shichu when she looked at him just now.

Sure enough, Shichu looked at Enxue in surprise when he heard that.

Meanwhile, Enxue didn't even dare to look at him, worried about explaining herself to him if he asked. How do I explain that my brother works for the mafia, and he took Ziyue's baby?

She knew that Ziyue was a special person to Shichu.

Enxue smiled forcefully before saying, flustered, "Ms. An, can you hold Zixi for a moment? I'd like to go to the ladies."

With that, she shoved Zixi into Xia's arms and left hurriedly.

Xia lowered her head at the confused Zixi and sighed. "You heartless little fellow. Your mom almost cried when you didn't let her hold you just now."

"Xia, what is going on?" Shichu asked perplexedly.

She gave him a fake smile. "Dr. Lu, you'd better follow Ms. Lin. Doesn't she have some heart problems? I hope she's fine."

Shichu frowned, but he took her advice and followed Enxue.

After both of them left, Xia finally snorted coldly.

Let alone Muchen and Ziyue; even Xia and Jingshu loved Zixi. When Zixi avoided Ziyue just now, she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Yet, Enxue made such a hurtful comment. Xia believed she wasn't ignorant when she said that; she was doing it on purpose to hurt Ziyue even more.

Hence, Xia could not take it anymore.

…

When Ziyue arrived at the hall with Chuan, Muchen was in a conversation with the head of a certain government department she once saw on the news.

As though he sensed her presence, he suddenly turned in her direction in the middle of the conversation.

When he saw her, he didn't call out to her immediately. Instead, he turned back and said something to the man, who nodded back before being surrounded by other people.

Then, Muchen walked to her and looked behind her. "Where's Zixi?"

"He's still in the room. Xia will bring him out later," she explained.

Muchen nodded. Without another word, he pulled her to a corner and announced solemnly, "My grandfather is almost here."

"His flight has landed? And you already sent someone to pick him up?"

As he had mentioned Yuchuan in one of the replies to the reporters earlier, she was not surprised to hear that.

"Yes. He will be here soon. When he arrives, bring him and Zixi into the room to rest. I'll be fine alone."

"Why?" Ziyue asked in surprise.

Zixi is the star of the day, yet he asked me to bring him away. What is going on?

Marry Me Quick Chapter 492-owever, Muchen had no plans to explain to her. He merely frowned before saying, "You don't have to worry about that, and just do what I told you, okay?"

Though he asked her a question, his tone was unquestionable.

Hence, she replied impatiently, "Got it."

He noticed that she was upset, but she interrupted when he was about to ask, "I'll just do whatever you instruct, happy? You have always been like this anyway. No matter what you have in mind, you will never discuss anything with me. I just have to follow your instructions."

She had quite some pent-up anger toward him, but he merely looked at her quietly with no intention of explaining himself.

"Go ahead and be busy with your stuff. You don't have to care about us." With that, Ziyue took a seat after asking the waiter for a glass of juice. As she drank it nonchalantly, she observed Muchen from the corner of her eye.

He merely stared at her for a few seconds after she sat down. Then, someone went to speak to him, and he was soon surrounded by a crowd.

She clenched her fingers around her glass subconsciously. He really is…

"Why are you here alone? Where's Muchen?" Xia asked, looking around.

Ziyue replied coolly, "He's so busy that he doesn't even have time for me."

Xia froze for a moment before sitting down and asking quietly, "Did you guys fight?"

Ziyue shook her head. "No." It's true. We didn't have a fight. I just don't understand him anymore. He doesn't even care about the most basic elements in a relationship anymore – respect and communication.

…

On the other hand, Enxue started panicking after walking out of the room.

Though she had a stifling feeling in her chest, she could still withstand it as she walked along the corridor.

What should I do? If Shichu asks me about keeping Zixi for two years, what should I say? Should I tell him about what my brother did with the mafia? Will he look down on me if I tell him that?

After all, Shichu came from a rather dignified family.

Enxue began to regret how she provoked Ziyue just now.

Nevertheless, she could not take it when she saw how close Ziyue and Shichu were just now.

Though they were not a couple, their closeness made her feel she couldn't join their circle no matter how hard she tried, and she was never a match for Ziyue.

Such thoughts made her so miserable that she could not help saying those words back then.

She walked to a resting area and found a spot. As she was too engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone sitting opposite her.

Finally, when she lifted her head, she realized it was Shichu.

"D-Dr. Lu," she stammered in surprise.

Shichu smiled at her gently. "I thought I'd had to sit here much longer before you noticed me."

"I'm sorry, I…" She started speaking, but she had no idea what to say.

Shichu interjected at a convenient time.

"Are you alright? Do you have any discomfort?" he asked concernedly.

Enxue lit up upon hearing that. "I'm fine."

Then, he said something that shocked her greatly.

"Let's go back to the hall."

Why didn't he ask me about Zixi? she wondered.

"If you don't go with me, I won't have a dance partner tonight." He smiled at her gently when he saw her surprised expression.

Still shocked, she replied, "Of course. Let's go back now."

As though worried that he might regret his decision, she quickly stood up, making him smile as he led the way back to the hall.

When he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she felt like she was about to die from a heart attack.

He didn't pursue the matter further and even asked her to be his partner. On top of that, he even placed his arms around her shoulders.

This was the first time she got so close to him physically.

Shichu was a lot taller than Enxue, yet he deliberately slowed down to match her pace. When he slightly lowered his eyes and saw the shy expression on her face, he merely arched his eyebrows indifferently.

…

When Yuchuan arrived, Ziyue was taking a picture of Xia and Zixi.

He was sitting in his stroller while Xia was crouching beside him, teaching him how to show the peace finger sign.

Since he was still young, he was not good at coordinating his fingers, so it was poorly done. However, he would raise his hands whenever Ziyue lifted her phone to take a picture.

After taking a few pictures, she chuckled when she looked back at them before passing the phone to him to show him the pictures.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"It's…" He hesitated before continuing, "It's Zixi."

Though his voice cracked, she understood him.

Just when she was about to reply, the hall suddenly went silent.

She looked around and saw the crowd fixated their gazes on the main entrance, and they were softly exchanging opinions.

She couldn't help but listen to them and heard some murmurs regarding 'the Earl who was personally knighted by the Queen of Country J.'

It was obvious that the said person was none other than Yuchuan, the Earl of Augsburg knighted by the Queen of Country J herself.

He has finally arrived.

Muchen passed through the crowd and arrived in front of Ziyue. "Come here."

She shot him a glance before pushing Zixi's stroller toward the entrance.

Meanwhile, the people in the hall were also waiting to see Yuchuan.

It was true he was here, but he merely showed up for a few minutes before leaving for the private room.

Muchen escorted them to the room himself before returning to the hall.

Before leaving, Ziyue asked, "How long… do we have to spend time with Grandpa here?"

Noticing how she addressed Yuchuan, Muchen lit up.

"Not long. I'll be back soon." With that, he kissed her on the lips, ignoring the presence of his bodyguards.

Ziyue was not as thick-skinned as him, and she quickly pushed him away, but she could not beat his strength.

Only after giving her a deep kiss did he leave.

Before that, she couldn't help pulling him back to ask, "What on earth are you planning?"

He froze. Without giving him time to think, she demanded, "After steering us away, what are you planning to do?"

Marry Me Quick Chapter 493-At that moment, she finally understood something. It was not a coincidence that Muchen steered everyone away, including Yuchuan, her, and Zixi. It was likely that he had a plan in mind.

"I already said you don't have to worry about anything else." He caught her hand and pinched it soothingly.

However, Ziyue suddenly realized something and pulled his hand anxiously. "You deliberately hosted a huge birthday party for Zixi to attract Gricy's attention, didn't you? You want to lure them out."

He arched his eyebrows upon hearing that without giving any confirmation.

Instead, he stared at her for a few more seconds before saying, "I said – you don't need to worry about anything. Just go in."

With that, he released her hand and left.

Ziyue stood at the door, deep in her thoughts. I don't get him more and more each day.

As Muchen made his way to the hall, he met an expected guest –Shichu, who looked as warm as ever.

"As the party's host, you steered away your wife and your son. How does that make any sense?"

Muchen merely stared back at him impassively. "It's none of your business."

"Mr. Qin, don't be so defensive. The only person I care about is Ziyue." His smile widened as he looked back at Muchen fixedly.

They were around the same height; Shichu was only a few centimeters shorter than Muchen. They were both very tall, so not much difference was observed in their height.

Nonetheless, the weird thing was –Muchen was a businessman who had connections with both the police and the mafia, while Shichu was just a doctor. Yet, when they faced each other, they were like equals.

Muchen snorted coldly. "So what? No matter how much you care about her, she will always be my wife and my son's mother, while she will never have any other relationship with you."

Finally, Shichu found it difficult to maintain his warm smile.

"Is that so?" He let out a snort of laughter.

Muchen narrowed his eyes, having no intention of continuing the conversation.

To him, Shichu was just an insignificant character. Nevertheless, the thought of him always having his eye on Ziyue made Muchen unhappy.

But… he won't be around for long now.

Just when he was about to leave, Shichu suddenly said, "Mr. Qin, you don't look good, seeing that you just recovered. When one looks like that, it's understandable that one gets depressed. Do you find it difficult to control your emotions lately?"

He sounded as though he was diagnosing a patient's sickness.

However, Muchen suddenly stopped walking and turned around to look at him with murderous intent.

Startled by his look, Shichu was stunned briefly. Then, he smiled and said slowly, "Bingo. But your situation seems worse than I expected. Do you… plan to kill me?"

Though he asked in a soft voice, Muchen heard everything.

"Do you think I don't dare to do that?" Muchen's face darkened threateningly as the killing intent thickened in his eyes.

Shichu took a step back involuntarily, but he quickly calmed down. "Of course, I don't. Haven't you killed enough people already?"

Muchen remained silent. It was true that he had killed some people, but they truly deserved to die.

It was just that he found it even more difficult to control his emotions lately.

He knew what he was doing and understood that those people didn't deserve to die, but he simply could not control himself.

He had been great at self-restraint, but ever since he took the antidote for the K1LU73 virus, he realized that it was difficult for him to control his emotions.

Sometimes, he would go berserk and would not listen to other people's opinions.

Though he knew he shouldn't do that, he was unable to control himself, and the situation sometimes oscillated between good and bad.

"What is wrong with the medicine?" he demanded loudly, taking a step forward and grabbing Shichu's collar.

Shichu did not struggle at all, but he smiled happily. "What medicine? I don't know about that. If you don't have any evidence, don't make accusations."

A harsh look flitted across Muchen's eyes. "Believe it or not, I'll kill you right now!"

"Of course, you can do that. You have the ability to. However, based on my status, do you think people will let it slide if I die here? If you kill me, you will also drag Ziyue into it. I suggest that you not do such an idiotic thing."

Shichu was so calm it was terrifying.

Upon the mention of Ziyue, Muchen loosened his grip.

Shichu took advantage of the opportunity and escaped from his grip. After straightening his shirt, he said, "Now that you aren't completely hated by Ziyue, you better enjoy your final moments with her. She is such a kind person – do you think she will love a brutal man like you?"

Muchen couldn't help himself anymore and gave Shichu a hard kick, sending him to the ground.

"Ehem…" Shichu fell to the ground. Clutching his chest, he coughed violently.

Muchen walked over and stepped on his chest. "You don't have the right to talk to me about her. You are a pitiful fellow who is jealous of me because you couldn't get her. Do you think you are all high and mighty now?"

Shichu coughed out some blood. After hearing his words, his already pale face got even paler.

After a moment of silence, he said arduously, "I didn't expect that the side effects of the antidote of the K1LU73 virus to vary from person to person. When I tested it out on other people, they weren't as brutal as you."

With that, he laughed out loud, as though it didn't hurt anymore.

Muchen narrowed his eyes dangerously. "It's you!"

Shichu was about to say something, but he suddenly looked behind Muchen confusedly. "What?"

"What are you guys doing?" Ziyue's voice rang from behind them, making Muchen stiffen.

He was still stepping on Shichu's chest. Before he could turn around, Ziyue was already running toward them. Her footsteps got increasingly louder until she appeared in front of him.

Then, she froze when she saw that the corner of Shichu's mouth was bleeding. When she returned to her senses, and shoved Muchen. "What are you doing? Why are you beating him up?"

"Eh-hem."

Shichu coughed a few times. Ziyue quickly helped him up and asked, "Shichu, are you alright?"

Marry Me Quick Chapter 494-Muchen could not believe that he nearly tripped when Ziyue pushed him aside as she was not a physically strong person. By the time Muchen could steady himself, Ziyue was already kneeling next to Shichu.

Looking up, Shichu saw Ziyue had offered her arm to help him up, but he was also aware that concern was written all over her face.

He glanced at Muchen before smiling at Ziyue to assure her he was fine, but his smile was short-lived. Suddenly, he felt something rise up his throat and began to cough.

Ziyue's eyes widened with terror as she gasped. "Let me take you to the hospital!"

However, Shichu merely waved her offer aside. "I'm fine. And please don't blame Mr. Qin. We had a minor misunderstanding, so don't worry."

"I don't blame him. Now, let me take you to the hospital, okay?" Ziyue responded promptly

Shichu raised one of his eyebrows – he had a feeling that Ziyue blamed Muchen for beating him. Her insistence to send him to the hospital merely solidified that gut feeling.

Shichu was unable to dissuade Ziyue from taking him to the hospital, but Muchen was not going to let them go easily.

"Stop it, Ziyue." Muchen's tone could freeze one's blood.

"Get out of our way." Ziyue glared daggers at Muchen and watched as his brows drew taut and the muscles of his jaw clenched. Muchen was a smoking volcano – she was sure he would erupt in anger soon, but she, too, was in a terrible mood.

Although she was unaware of the misunderstanding between Muchen and Shichu, she believed that Muchen should not have beaten Shichu up to the point of shedding blood.

She was also certain that Muchen had discriminated against Shichu since their first meeting.

Furthermore, she knew Shichu was even-tempered and would not have initiated a fight with Muchen.

Her defiance fanned Muchen's anger even further.

"You're coming with me." Muchen seethed as he grabbed Ziyue's arm, but Ziyue would not go down without a fight.

"What are you doing?!" She yelled as she tried to struggle out of his grasp, but she was weak compared to Muchen's brute-like strength.

Muchen smirked at Shichu and began to drag Ziyue away from him. In the meantime, Ziyue was twisting around, trying to free herself.

Shichu jogged ahead of Muchen to block him. "Can't you hear her screaming at you? Let her go!"

Shichu lost all respect for Muchen, he was not going to be polite to him.

Shoving him aside, Muchen began to stride toward Yuchuan's room with Ziyue in tow.

"Muchen, stop it!" Ziyue felt like she had never hated Muchen and his preposterous temper so much.

Detecting that Shichu was approaching him again, Muchen swung his fist at the other man. However, he did not expect Ziyue to block the punch.

Ziyue knew that Shichu and Muchen's animosity must have been birthed by Muchen's disdain for Shichu. Hence her first instinct was to protect Muchen from harming Shichu when she felt him swing his weight at Shichu.

Muchen unleashed his anger and resentment in his punch. Meanwhile, Ziyue was a slender woman. The weight behind Muchen's fist caused Ziyue to stumble backward into Shichu's arms.

Clenching her chest in agony, Ziyue groaned quietly. She bit her lips to prevent any sounds from escaping, but she felt like her chest would burst.

"Ziyue!" His voice trembled as he called her.

Ziyue patted her chest with one hand, but with her other hand, she pushed Shichu away gently. "I'll be fine. You're a doctor, so you should know your condition is more severe. I won't be able to send you to the hospital, so you need to do it yourself. I'll apologize properly next time."

Shichu knew that Muchen must have lost control, and the punch was fueled by anger and hatred toward him. Despite the pain in her chest, Ziyue tried to keep a straight face and even asked him to leave.

However, Shichu also knew that Ziyue was more sorry for him than she was angry at Muchen. Almost everything she had done was because she wanted to apologize to him.

At the same time, he knew that Muchen might not know what Ziyue was feeling.

"I'll go for now. I'm sorry – I was here for the birthday party, but my misunderstanding with Muchen got in the way."

Ziyue smiled wanly, but in pain, at him.

Glancing at Muchen, Shichu felt his expression break a little as he turned to leave.

Shichu turned around to leave, and the pain from the beating suddenly crashed upon him, causing him to limp a little.

Muchen was really rough just now. He huffed.

Muchen and Ziyue stood a few feet apart, silently observing each other for a few moments as Shichu left them.

"You should go to the birthday party. We will talk about this later at night." Ziyue whispered in agony as her chest was still hurting from the blow.

Muchen swallowed with concern as he contemplated Ziyue, pale with pain. Although she wore heels, she was still much shorter than him. He also realized that her words did not have a cold bite to them anymore.

He pressed his lips together nervously. "Let me take a look in the room."

"I'm fine." Ziyue shook her head as she turned away, but Muchen quickly grabbed her arm.

He knew how strong he was and that he had hurt her badly this time. He recalled the times they were in bed together – he would accidentally leave bruises on her body even when he was gentle with her. He must have hurt her terribly this time because he did not hold back his punch.

However, Ziyue was adamant. "I'm fine. Let's talk about what happened between Shichu and you later tonight."

Although she was upset that Muchen beat Shichu, she knew that he would not have done it for no reason.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 495-Ziyue expected Muchen to let her go, but she was surprised his grip remained tight around her arm.

"Why are you…" Ziyue's patience was running low, but when she saw the stubborn look in his eyes, she felt the words on her lips melt away.

Sighing, she explained her request. "I need to get Zixi's water bottle from the room."

She did not have Zixi's bottle with her when she left the resting room earlier. The child's inexperienced caretakers, Xia and Jingshu, had also forgotten to take Zixi's water bottle. Zixi did not like drinking from cups or bottles that were not his own.

She was returning to the room to get Zixi's water bottle when she came across Muchen and Shichu's brawl.

Muchen's eyes sparkled when he heard her explanation. "I'll get Chuan to retrieve the bottle for you!"

Ziyue shook her head. "I can get it myself. You guys are pretty busy today."

Muchen's face fell when he heard her rejection.

When Ziyue felt Muchen loosen his grasp, she quickly pulled away and went to the room.

I hope my adamant refusal dissuaded him from wanting to look at the spot where he hit me. Ziyue thought as she hunted for Zixi's bottle.

As she picked up the bottle, she heard the doorknob turn.

She looked up in surprise, only to see Enxue enter the room before locking the room door.

"Miss Ling? Why are you here?"

Enxue should be with Shichu. However, she was not with the doctor during the brawl, which meant that she was in the banquet hall. She could not have overheard me mentioning that I was going to the resting room. Or… Could she?

She must've followed me to the resting room after the brawl to catch me alone.

Enxue remained silent as she crossed the room slowly toward Ziyue.

Ziyue could almost feel Enxue's unusually cold and judgmental gaze sweep from her face down to her body, then to her eyes.

Immediately, Ziyue's guard went up. Enxue left a neutral impression upon Ziyue as she had always appeared happy and kind.

However, Ziyue had always been slightly on alert when Enxue was around merely because she was Enyang's sister.

Finally, Enxue stopped a few feet away from Ziyue. "Mrs. Qin, there's something we have to talk about."

Ziyue raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Speak your mind, Miss Enxue."

Enxue rolled her eyes as she snickered at Ziyue's remark as if she found it preposterous that Ziyue would agree to a chat so easily.

"You're married. Stay away from other men. You should respect your husband and leave some dignity for your child. Would you want people to tell Zixi that his mom was sneaking around behind his daddy's back?"

Enxue's voice climbed when she reached the final part of her monologue, her emotions erupting.

Ziyue chuckled when she realized the reason for this confrontation.

She found it ludicrous that Enxue thought she could tell Ziyue how to live her life. She was even more astounded that Enxue would use Zixi to threaten her.

"Miss Ling, would you kindly enlighten me – which man would you like me to stay away from?"

"I witnessed Mr. Qin and Shichu fighting in the corridor. Don't you find it disgusting that two men would brawl over you? And why did you have to defend Dr. Lu? Are you trying to get on his good side and make him fall for you even more?"

Enxue's usually pale pallor had a dash of red anger as she gave Ziyue the tongue-lashing she thought Ziyue deserved.

After learning what had happened to Enxue, Ziyue was slightly in awe of the young woman and thought she was a persistent and optimistic lady. However, Ziyue no longer felt the same now.

She was not a doormat – she would not back down after being wrongly accused of something she did not do.

"I have three things to inform you. First things first, I never thought that I was a disgusting person. Secondly, Muchen and Shichu had a disagreement – I have nothing to do with it. Finally, I have my reasons for defending Shichu. On the other hand, kindly explain yourself. Who do you think you are to question me like that? Shichu and I grew up together. We are like siblings and nothing else. I don't have to explain myself. What about you? You should be sincere toward him if you truly love him. If not, I'll tell him about your brother."

Ziyue had never discriminated against Enxue because she was Enyang's sister. However, Enxue had wrongly accused her of cheating on her husband with a childhood friend and used her child to threaten her!

Enxue gasped in horror. "How could you do that? That's despicable!"

"If I was a despicable person, I would've asked him not to be with you from the first day you met!"

Ziyue felt that if she told Shichu not to associate with Enxue, he would agree with her.

However, she thought that it would be a childish thing to do. Shichu should be able to see for himself and judge Enxue's character.

Enxue bit her trembling lips and tried to blink her tears away. The red anger on her face disappeared, leaving behind a nervous paleness.

She knew she had not played her cards right, but jealousy had nearly driven her mad.

Ziyue stared at Enxue. "Miss Ling, this might be the last time we meet. I hope you'll have fun today at his birthday party."

Enxue's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"What do you mean? My brother asked Muchen to protect me!"

Marry Me Quick Chapter 496p-nxue had been in terror since discovering that her brother was working for Gricy. She would often wake up in a cold sweat, terrified that Gricy would send people to hurt her if her brother made a mistake or died. Hence she knew that she needed Muchen's protection to live peacefully.

"Muchen agreed to take care of you for one month. Can you tell me how long it has been since your brother left?"

Muchen was wise to be cautious. He would've had to take care of Enxue to the end of days if he did not set an end date to his vow to protect her. That's if Enyang does not return.

"My brother hasn't returned yet and is not responding to my calls or texts! Are you going to cast me aside, knowing that Gricy might come for me?" Enxue nearly shrieked in terror.

"I think you should be worried about your brother. How could you only think about yourself?" Ziyue whispered as she stared at the young woman before her.

"He decided to join Gricy. What could I have done to stop him? I can't do anything for him now, even if I worry for his safety. I have a weak heart! Do you expect me to look for him at Gricy?"

"He's your brother, not mine!"

Ziyue decided to swap her understanding of Enyang and Enxue. She used to think Enxue was a good person – a gentle but strong girl. Whereas Enyang left a bad taste in her mouth – he abducted her child, separated them for two years, and caused immense pain to her and her husband.

However, Enyang loved his sister deeply. He joined Gricy because Enxue needed money for her heart disease urgently. Otherwise, Ziyue believed he would have been an excellent businessman, on par with Muchen.

From their brief conversation, Ziyue knew that Enxue did not reciprocate her brother's love and concern. Despite her brother's radio silence, all she worried about was her own safety.

I understand that Enxue's fear stems from Gricy's vengefulness. Still, I cannot believe she has forgotten that her brother joined Gricy to earn fast cash for her heart treatment! What a pity. Ziyue rubbed her temples.

I don't want to spend another moment with this woman, Ziyue thought as she tried to leave the room, but as she passed Enxue, the other woman grabbed her arm.

"Don't go! You can't do this to me! My brother gave you a business, didn't he? How could you bite the hand that fed you?"

Ziyue frowned. I didn't expect Enyang to tell his sister about Feng Group.

"The company never belonged to your brother." Enyang took over Feng Group by impersonating Feng Xingyan. She was astounded that Enxue dared to insinuate that he had done Ziyue a favor by returning Feng Group to her – it was hers, to begin with!

"You should learn how to take care of yourself now." Ziyue snarled before Enxue could toss any further comments.

Enxue felt her throat close with nervousness when she felt the chill in Ziyue's tone. During the short time she had spent with Ziyue, she had never seen Ziyue blow her fuse. Ziyue was always gentle, especially when she talked about Zixi.

However, the chilly tone in her voice indicated that it was not that Ziyue did not have a temper – Ziyue just never let her temper get the best of her.

Ziyue had a good husband and a beautiful child – her life gave her more reason to be gentle and satisfied rather than bitter and upset.

Enxue mistook her gentleness and meekness as weakness, which was why Enxue dared to threaten her.

Enxue watched Ziyue as she left the room nervously. Only then she realized she had been holding her breath the whole time.

…

As Ziyue closed the door behind her, she gripped the water bottle tighter, her emotions roiling like boiling water. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. Eventually, she summoned the courage to go to Yuchuan's room.

She knew that Enxue's blistering words were nothing compared to what she would be encountering when she met Yuchuan.

Something felt off when she brought Zixi to Yuchuan's room. He had not liked her ever since meeting two years ago, and she never liked him either.

Despite the short time they were together, most of the time they had was tainted with negative events.

She felt awkward when she was in his room. When she realized she needed to get Zixi's bottle, she entrusted Zixi to Jingshu.

She had to go back, even though she really disliked it.

How can I change his mind about me? I've been married to Muchen for three years. Isn't that enough? You can do this! Ziyue gritted her teeth as she strode to Yuchuan's room.

Muchen gave the Presidential Suite to Yuchuan, guarded by two rows of bodyguards.

"Good day, Mrs. Qin!" The men in suits greeted her loudly, which took her by surprise.

Yuchuan's men would never acknowledge her, which meant these men were Muchen's.

Ziyue was going to open the door when she paused to ask, "Are Mr. Qin, Mr. Bai, and Zixi still inside?"

"Yes, Mrs. Qin!"

Ziyue turned the knob and entered, only to be greeted by Yuchuan's laughter.

Jingshu had a magnetic aura – he may look like any other rich boy. Still, he always managed to charm everyone around him, including Yuchuan and Muchen.

Although Ziyue thought she was pretty stealthy when she came in, Jingshu managed to detect her entrance.

Turning his head toward her, he yelled with delight, "Mrs. Qin is here!"

Zixi, seated next to Jingshu, saw Ziyue, slid down the sofa, and ran toward her with his arms open wide. "Mom!"

"Slow down…" Ziyue giggled as she bent down with her arms wide to pick Zixi up, making him chuckle.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 497-Ziyue handed Zixi his bottle. Walking to the sofa opposite Yuchuan, she sat down with Zixi on her lap.

"Why were you gone for so long?" Yuchuan asked her.

She realized he sounded neither warm nor cold when speaking to her. However, the way he spoke told her that he had never liked her since they first met in J Country all those years ago. In fact, his dislike might have deepened into disgust now.

Yuchuan always wanted to control Muchen, but Muchen nearly had a great fallout with him because of her. Despite harboring some self-resentment after what Zixi went through, with Zixi back with them, he now felt absolved from his guilt.

However, in the place of his guilt was deep resentment toward Ziyue.

"I met a friend – we were chatting."

Yuchuan raised his eyebrow questioningly but decided not to pursue her response. Instead, he turned his attention back to Jingshu.

Unfazed by Yuchuan's disdain, Ziyue turned her attention to Zixi.

Suddenly, somebody's phone rang. Jingshu picked up the call and nodded a few times.

"I'm sorry! I need to go home now – I'll be back soon!" Jingshu chuckled.

"Okay, go on! Young people need to mingle with other young people. Just leave old men like me be."

Although Yuchuan may sound like he was cross, Ziyue knew he was not. In fact, she knew that he liked Jingshu.

"Send him off, would you?" Yuchuan asked Ziyue, who nodded and got up to send their friend off.

When they arrived at the door, Jingshu turned back to look at the room. Once he was sure that Yuchuan was not watching them, he leaned toward her and whispered, "I can't help you anymore. The old man is very intelligent. He'd know that Muchen sent me here if I stayed any longer. I'll go now – you go back in, okay?"

Ziyue noted the concern on his face, but she was not worried. Instead, something else caught her attention. "Did Muchen send you?"

"Ah, yes! Didn't you know?"

"Now I do. Go on. I'll manage." Ziyue bade him goodbye.

Ziyue stared at Jingshu as he left them, but a loud bang jolted her out of her daze. Terrified, she turned around and ran into the room her son was in.

Yuchuan was standing near his tea set, towering over Zixi.

Zixi stood next to the tea set, staring blankly to one side, as if unable to comprehend what had happened.

"What happened?" Ziyue felt her heart drop.

"Did you not teach him how to behave?" Ziyue shouted at her, but Ziyue ignored him and turned to Zixi.

"Mom…" Zixi whispered but immediately scrunched his lips together. Despite the tears in his eyes, he strained not to cry.

Yuchuan was a stranger to Zixi, so Yuchuan's loud outburst scared him. The child wanted to run into his mother's arms, but he was too shocked to do anything.

He may not know who the old man was, but he was sure that Ziyue respected him. It was that sense of seniority that paralyzed him.

"What happened, Grandpa?" Ziyue asked the old man, and instead of calling him 'Mr. Qin', she called him by the title Muchen addressed him.

Yuchuan scoffed when he heard her addressing him as 'Grandpa.' "Did you not teach him how to behave? Why is he so bad-tempered? He was throwing things on the ground!"

He turned to the place Zixi was staring at. Following his gaze, Ziyue saw the shattered glass.

"Did you break the glass, Zixi?"

The boy looked up at Ziyue, then at Yuchuan, but remained silent.

Ziyue walked carefully toward her son, got down to his eye level, and placed a hand on the child's shoulder. "Did you break the glass, Zixi? You can tell me."

Zixi nodded. He may be mature for a two-year-old, but he was not a cunning child.

Ziyue hummed to signal that she understood before asking, "Why did you break the glass? That's not a good thing to do."

Before the child could answer, Yuchuan interjected. "Why is he learning bad habits at such a young age?"

Ziyue felt her temper rise for a moment but quickly smothered it.

She would not let anyone make snarky remarks about her child, but she would have to bear it since Yuchuan was Muchen's grandfather.

Ziyue thought he was a gentleman when she met him two years ago. Although he had some tricks up his sleeve to make her leave Muchen, she did not consider him to be underhanded.

However, she now realized that he was a despicable man.

Although Zixi admitted that he broke the glass, it did not mean he broke it on purpose. Why did he insist that Zixi picked up a bad habit? His remarks were full of disgust – it is a misplaced disgust for me that he has placed on my child!

"Zixi is only two years old. He may not be mature yet, but he can be taught how to behave. You are a wise and open-minded man. Surely you would not harbor resentment toward a two-year-old, right?" Ziyue suggested but did not bother to look at the old man.

Ziyue almost scoffed at Yuchuan's exaggerated response. Why would you use a child to attack me?

Yuchuan raised his brow questioningly. Women have a strong maternal instinct once they have children. I did not expect the child to admit that he broke the glass so quickly, and I did not expect the woman not to fight with me! She has matured so much after two years.

A sneaky smile crossed his face for a second. "Well, since you offered, I don't mind taking Zixi to Country J. He can stay with me. We'll teach him how to behave."

Marry Me Quick Chapter 498-Yuchuan was Zixi's maternal great-grandfather. Usually, the older generations loved children.

However, Ziyue could tell from Yuchuan and Zixi's first interaction today that they did not jell with each other. In fact, Yuchuan did not seem to like Zixi. She shuddered when she thought about why Yuchuan wanted to take Zixi to Country J.

Regardless, she would not agree to Yuchuan's request, whether or not he was joking.

"It's better for children to stay with their parents. Furthermore, I believe you would enjoy peace and quiet. Children are quite noisy." Ziyue countered gently, trying to hide her emotions from the older man.

"I was just joking. Poor girl – you're so surprised!" Yuchuan chuckled. Ziyue laughed quietly as well but quickly fell silent.

I have never won an argument against Yuchuan. The less I speak, the better it'll be.

Yuchuan observed Ziyue's silence. Bored of the lack of banter, he rolled his eyes at her and left.

His disdain for Ziyue had transferred over to Zixi. Without Muchen, spending extra time with Ziyue was a waste of time.

Sensing Yuchuan's departure, Ziyue finally felt like she could breathe freely.

She never understood Muchen and Yuchuan's relationship.

She had only encountered two types of familial bonds. Her own family would associate with each other only to get something beneficial out of the interaction. On the other hand, she witnessed how loving and sacrificial Enyang was toward his sister.

However, Muchen and Yuchuan did not behave like family – they behaved like opponents.

Ziyue had a feeling that their relationship was too complicated to describe. Muchen almost broke ties with his grandfather over Ziyue, but it was not a full-blown disagreement.

She believed, in the end, no matter how bad their relationship was, blood was still thicker than water.

And yet, she had a feeling that Yuchuan had more tricks up his sleeve, especially after the off-handed remark he made about taking Zixi away.

She would not let him take her child away.

"Mom…" Zixi's voice pulled her back into reality.

Turning back to Zixi, she offered him a smile as she picked him up. "What's up, my dear?" She whispered as she put the boy on the sofa.

"It was my fault. I didn't hold the glass properly…" He blinked at her, while trying his best to explain what had happened.

Ziyue realized that his eyes were wide, but his drawn-down brows indicated that he was trying to be very careful with his words.

He is trying to explain what happened with the broken glass. Zixi does not have a bad temper – he will not throw things about.

"Ah, yes. I know you didn't do it on purpose."

Zixi nodded to himself before adding quietly. "I don't want to go with great-Grandpa."

"Don't worry, Mom won't let great-Grandpa take you away." Ziyue smiled at her child. Her reassuring words comforted him, making him giggle.

…

Ziyue and Zixi spent the whole day in Yuchuan's presidential suite. They did not see him apart from when having dinner together. However, Ziyue was not curious about what he did in his room and what was happening in the banquet hall. Instead, she felt quite content being ignored.

Muchen appeared only when night fell. Ziyue heard someone walking in and looked up to see Muchen trudging in – pale and obviously exhausted.

"Is everything done?"

Muchen took a deep breath as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself just in time. "Yeah."

"Dad!" Zixi called out as he wrapped himself around Muchen's leg.

Muchen looked downwards at the boy hugging his leg, and his tiredness melted into affection.

"How are you? Did you like great-Grandpa?" Muchen asked as he picked the boy up. Ziyue raised an eyebrow – she managed to catch on the lilt of anticipation in his voice. She was certain that Muchen wanted his son to say he liked the old man.

Zixi's beaming smile broke the moment he heard Muchen's question. He did not have to say anything – his silence spilt his opinion out to his father.

Muchen might be crestfallen but he put his son down without revealing his emotions. "Let's talk to Grandpa for a moment, then we can go home."

"Mhmm," Ziyue responded plainly, but displeasure was written all over her face. Despite being unhappy, she reached for Zixi's hand and guided him to Yuchuan's room without complaint. "Let's talk to great-Grandpa, then we can go home, okay?"

Although Zixi did not like the grumpy old man, he was a young child who trusted his mother.

Detecting her displeasure, Muchen was going to change his mind about greeting his grandfather, but Ziyue and Zixi were already approaching Yuchuan's room.

As they entered the room, they heard Yuchuan speaking in a foreign language on a phone call, which was most probably an international call.

When he heard the door opening, he turned around to see Muchen and his family waiting for him. With a few quick responses, he ended the call to talk to his grandson.

As he put the phone away, he glanced at the family of three questioningly. "Ah, so you're done with your business, eh?"

Ziyue held Zixi's hand and slinked silently to the corner of the room. The question he asked was directed toward Muchen, but since he did not bring up anything about her and Zixi, she would not going to stir up the hornet's nest.

"Yes, I'm done with my work. We're going to go back now. We'll see you again tomorrow." Muchen's answer was business-like.

I find it miraculous that they can maintain a family relationship. They are never intimate or vulnerable with each other! Ziyue thought as she observed their interaction.

Yuchuan scoffed. "I took a long-haul flight here. My body is aching everywhere, and I will need to take some time to recuperate in Yunzhou City. Are you going to just let me stay in the hotel the whole time?"

Ziyue stared at the old man fearfully. Is he trying to weasel his way into staying with us at Cloud Bay Hilltop Villa?

Marry Me Quick Chapter 499-The truth was, Muchen understood Yuchuan's meaning, but he had his own thoughts.

"Which area of Yunzhou City would you like to stay at? I can prepare the house and servants for you. Just let me know once you make up your mind. I'll get the things ready."

After saying that, Muchen didn't bother to observe Yuchuan's reaction but lowered his head and said to Zixi, "Zixi, say goodbye to great-Grandpa."

Zixi squeaked obediently, "Goodbye, great-Grandpa."

"We shall head off first, Grandpa." Ziyue echoed.

Although Yuchuan was displeased, he did not show his emotions in front of Muchen. He waved his hand in frustration and croaked, "Alright, go ahead."

With that, Muchen led Ziyue and Zixi away.

…

Because Muchen had drunk some wine, the driver drove the car on the way back.

Zixi didn't nap today, so he dozed off quickly after getting into the car. When they arrived at the residence, Muchen walked at the front and carried Zixi in his arms while Ziyue followed him at the back. Both remained silent as they walked into the house.

After entering the house, Muchen put Zixi to bed upstairs while Ziyue waited for him in the living room as she needed to talk to him.

After sitting on the couch, Ziyue dismissed the servants and waited for Muchen alone in the living room.

When Muchen came downstairs and noticed the servants were not around, he knew Ziyue wanted to talk to him.

He walked over and asked, "Did Grandpa give you a hard time?"

"What if I say yes?" Ziyue crossed her arms and stared at Muchen with a hard look.

Muchen was startled when he heard the response.

"He is advanced in age and is getting more short-tempered. Don't take his words to heart."

"Mm-hmm." The awkward conversation made the atmosphere rather tense.

"Besides…" Muchen paused for a while before continuing, "He more or less feels guilty toward you, so he won't harm you anymore. Even if he has those intentions, I won't let those things happen again." His tone became firmer toward the end of his sentence.

Ziyue was amused by Muchen's comment. Yuchuan feels guilty toward me? That sounds unbelievable! He wouldn't have said those words to me if that were true.

Ziyue didn't know why Muchen would have that impression. She only knew that Yuchuan didn't have to go after her now because he could directly go after Zixi if he wanted to attack her.

After pondering it, Ziyue asked, "If he wants to take Zixi away, will you agree?"

Muchen was stunned for a moment before denying it resolutely. "No, he won't raise such a request."

"Are you so certain?" Ziyue looked at Muchen with a straight face and continued, "He's been wanting to control you all these while but to no avail. Isn't it normal if he switches his target to your son?"

Even Ziyue was taken aback by her speculation. She had no idea how forceful Yuchuan could be, but the more she thought about it, the more she reckoned Yuchuan would do such things.

"He won't. Don't worry about the unnecessary things." Muchen's answer was as firm as before.

Ziyue was more assured upon receiving his affirmative response.

"What happened between you and Shichu today?" Ziyue had been mulling over the incident the entire day but couldn't figure out why they fought. It couldn't possibly be because of me.

Muchen lifted his eyes and glanced at Ziyue. Perceiving her calmness, he hesitated for a second and mumbled, "There was a small misunderstanding."

At that moment, he was certain that Shichu was the team leader of K7 Pharmaceutical Team, but he didn't have evidence. Besides, Ziyue had known Shichu since they were young, so the latter was an important person to her. If he told Ziyue about the matter before obtaining sufficient evidence, Ziyue would definitely not believe it. In fact, he thought that even if he found reliable evidence, Ziyue might still not believe him.

"A small misunderstanding? If that was true, you wouldn't have flared up and roughed him up." Ziyue didn't buy Muchen's words because he was clearly blinding her.

For some reason, Muchen was provoked. He sneered suddenly and blurted, "You know I'm a hot-tempered person. So what's so strange with me beating him up?"

Initially, Ziyue wanted to understand what exactly happened between Muchen and Shichu. However, seeing Muchen's attitude, she didn't know how to carry on the conversation.

Lowering her head, she adjusted her emotions before heaving a deep sigh. She lifted her head to ask him, "Is there anything else you'd like to talk to me about? If not, I'm going to bed."

Ziyue hadn't been occupied that day, yet she felt exhausted. In fact, she asked Muchen about the incident, hoping he would mention something about the banquet. But alas, the outcome was disappointing because Muchen didn't say anything about it.

He gazed at Ziyue with a concerned look and hummed, "Go ahead."

Before he finished saying that, Ziyue stood up and headed to the staircase. She felt strange and distressed by Muchen's recent behavior.

Muchen was keeping things away from her, reminding her of the early days of their marriage.

At that time, Ziyue's understanding of him was merely what he presented himself to her. If he intended to hide something from Ziyue, she could never figure it out, even if she racked her brain.

It felt as if there was an invisible barrier between the couple.

…

Ziyue felt sulky after returning to the bedroom. Sitting beside the bed, she stared at Zixi, who was fast asleep and reached out her hand to touch the boy's long eyelashes. Then, she carried him to the nursery opposite the master room.

She was uncomfortable with Muchen's doings, so she wasn't keen to sleep with him and would rather sleep with Zixi in the nursery.

When Muchen returned to the master room with a bottle of cold spray, he realized the room was empty.

His heart sank, and his expression changed at once, but he was reminded of something a second later and calmed down quickly.

Marry Me Quick Chapter 500-He was downstairs just now and didn't see them come down, so he reckoned they went to the nursery.

He walked toward the nursery and opened the door to see Ziyue leaning against the headboard, scrolling through her phone.

His expression softened, but the tension in his voice remained. "Why did you bring Zixi here?"

Ziyue averted her gaze from the phone screen to glance at Muchen and replied nonchalantly, "You prepared the nursery so that Zixi could sleep alone, didn't you? I'm helping him to adapt."

Muchen ignored her excuse and commanded, "Go back to our room."

"I don't want to. Since the nursery is ready, it'll be a waste if it remains unoccupied. I'll accompany Zixi here for a few days so that he'll get used to it."

After saying that, Ziyue smiled faintly as if nothing happened.

"Ziyue!" Muchen couldn't help raising his voice. Of course, he knew Ziyue was inventing an excuse. Nonetheless, the latter was not intimidated by his yelling. She patted Zixi gently and retorted, "Lower your volume. You'll wake Zixi."

Muchen frowned. "Do you insist on sleeping in separate rooms today?"

"It's not that I want to sleep in a separate room. I just want to accompany Zixi so he can get used to sleeping in this room." Ziyue explained with a calm look and didn't seem to be annoyed.

"I disagree. Go back to our room now." Muchen demanded.

"Stop making a fuss already. Aren't you tired after a long day? Quickly go and rest." With that, Ziyue was about to lie down to sleep.

However, Muchen carried her in his arms before she could lie down.

"What are you doing?!" Ziyue controlled her volume because Zixi was asleep.

Carrying her, Muchen walked back to the master room and hummed, "Carrying my wife to sleep in our room."

His tone was extremely serious despite his emotionless face. Ziyue was exasperated as she couldn't do anything about him. "You…"

"It's my fault I didn't tell you about Zixi's birthday banquet earlier …" Muchen did not look at Ziyue as he continued mumbling, "I spread the invitation so that the mastermind who drugged me and people from Gricy would show up."

Ziyue realized Muchen was explaining to her about the birthday banquet.

"When you asked me before, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. I wanted to settle the matter on my own, so it wouldn't bother you." Muchen's voice softened as he continued explaining.

On the other hand, Ziyue was not surprised at all as she had guessed something similar, but she just hadn't affirmed her speculation.

Her heart was in her mouth when she heard Muchen mention the mastermind who drugged him and Gricy.

"Are you okay? Did anything happen during the banquet?" He didn't want me to worry, so he prevented Yuchuan and me from appearing at the banquet, but that just made me even more worried! He would have allowed us to stay in the banquet hall if it wasn't dangerous. Besides, this proves that to Muchen, Yuchuan is as important as Zixi and I.

"I'm fine. Nothing much happened during the banquet. We only managed to catch a few underlings from Gricy who are not directly associated with the key people in the organization. Basically, we gained nothing." Muchen's voice turned cold.

At that moment, they reached the master room.

Muchen put Ziyue down and asked while staring into her eyes. "Do you still want to sleep in separate rooms?"

Ziyue parted her lips but was at a loss for words. How weird is this guy. Why would he only explain it to me after I get mad? We've experienced so many things together. He could've told me his plans beforehand. Or… is it because he still doesn't trust me enough?

Ziyue hesitated but ended up not speaking her mind.

She turned to look at the side and muttered, "I never said I wanted to sleep in separate rooms with you – that's your own opinion. I just wanted to accompany Zixi."

Muchen arched his brows and didn't intend to continue bickering with Ziyue on this topic.

"Excuse me. I'm going back to accompany Zixi." Ziyue nudged Muchen.

Although she understood the motive behind Zixi's birthday party, she wouldn't forgive him easily. She thought Muchen treated her as such because he didn't trust her and also because she had never gotten this mad at him.

Every time Muchen hid something from her, she would immediately forgive him. Because of that, Muchen never changed his behavior.

This time, Ziyue didn't plan to let it go so easily.

Muchen did not move. Ziyue knew he was reluctant, so it was normal for him to ignore her. So, she moved to the other side of the bed and was about to step on the floor barefoot.

However, the second her feet touched the ground, Muchen grasped her arm and threw her to the bed. With her face facing upward, Ziyue had a dizzy spell due to the forceful hurl.

Pressing her temples, she was about to get up, but Muchen reached out his hand to rip off her clothes.

"Muchen, you…" Ziyue's voice trembled in irritation. You jerk! This is forever your resolution when we have an argument!

Biting her lips, Ziyue blushed to the roots of her hair as she attempted to push Muchen away. However, the man seized her wrist and hummed solemnly, "Stay still. Let me take a look at your chest…"

Ziyue was startled. Her summer pajamas were thin, so Muchen could easily rip them off. He soon caught sight of the bruise on her chest.

Ziyue had fair and tender skin, so the bruise was conspicuous.

Despite knowing that Muchen was observing the bruise, Ziyue still felt embarrassed with him staring at her chest. After all, he took her clothes off. Even though they were husband and wife, Ziyue couldn't help feeling awkward being stared at fixedly.

"It's actually not painful. Stop staring at it. I-I feel cold… Ouch…" Ziyue winced halfway through her sentence because Muchen pressed the bruised area with his finger.

Upon hearing her gasp, Muchen instantly retracted his hand as if he had an electric shock. His dark eyes were tinged with guilt.