Chapter 249 - The World Changes No Matter What (1)
It was near evening when Xi Xiaye returned to Maple Residence. Because they were going back to the Mu Residence later, she went to a mall to get some vases after leaving Su Nan’s place since Wang Hui mentioned that she had broken a few at home.
As she stepped into the living room, she could detect a strong alcohol scent from afar. Frowning, she looked towards the sofa. There was no one, so she approached nearer and saw several empty bottles. There was another half-empty one, and glasses were strewn everywhere while cigarette butts filled up the ashtray.
She scowled. After some hesitation, she opened the window and then went upstairs.
As she guessed, she found the man knocked out on the bed.
She went over and could smell the stench of alcohol emanating from him. Several buttons on his black shirt were undone and his bare chest was exposed. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
However, it was not the time for her to appreciate how he looked when he was asleep. She took a deep breath before trying to shake him up even though he did not budge at all.
“Wake up! Mu Yuchen, just how much did you drink?”
After a while, he opened his eyes with a scowl and glared at her briefly before covering himself up with the blanket and going back to sleep again.
“You said that we’re going back to the Mu Residence. How do we do that now?”
Xi Xiaye slapped a hand to her forehead. She tucked him in and stared at him, feeling a headache coming on. Then, she grabbed a wet towel from the bathroom and wiped him down a little. She gave the Mu Residence a call. It was her mother-in-law, Zhuang Shurong, who picked up.
“Mother, Chen had a gathering with his friends. He got drunk and is asleep now, so I’m afraid we won’t be going over tonight. We’ll go back some other time.”
Zhuang Shurong stayed silent for a moment before sighing, “Okay, please take care of him. Make sure he doesn’t drink too much the next time. We’ve made quite a number of both your favorite dishes. Since you guys aren’t coming back, I’ll get your grandmother to send them to your place tomorrow.”
Xi Xiaye nodded. “Mmm, thank you, Mother!”
“Alright then. Call us if you need anything else.”
…
After ending the call with Zhuang Shurong, Xi Xiaye went downstairs. After some thought, she then went to cook some porridge before she cleaned up the scattered glasses in the living room.
The sky darkened before Xi Xiaye took a shower and went straight to the study room without any dinner.
She was still working on the South River proposal which had already been altered countless times. Because she would need to submit it to the government soon, she was trying to make it even more comprehensive than it was.
She turned on the table lamp and focused on the laptop as she referred to the notes she had taken during the visit to the South River with Mu Yuchen yesterday.
It was quiet inside the room. All one could hear was the constant tapping on the keyboard until a ringtone broke the silence.
“Hello?”
Xi Xiaye did not look at the screen and just picked it up, her eyes still glued to the screen.
“Ms. Xi, it’s me.”
“Detective Zhang?”
Xi Xiaye immediately recognized whose voice it was. “What is it? Do you have any good news for me?”
“No, Ms. Xi. I’m afraid that this is bad news for you…” Detective Zhang’s tone sounded a little morose.
Xi Xiaye frowned slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“Yang Jianfeng is missing! I’ve been looking for him the past few days. I suspect that he’s in hiding. Several days ago, I noticed he was acting oddly. He’s probably hiding because he found out about my presence.”
Xi Xiaye suddenly stopped her work. Although she was slightly startled, she was still calm and her eyes seemed clear. “Can you find him?”
“I’ve been looking for him for a few days, but I’ve got no clue yet. Hopefully, he didn’t go abroad. I’ll check the Immigration Department.”
Xi Xiaye took a deep breath, then she gave it some thought and said, “Maybe you can check what’s going on with Xi Xinyi. He probably took action under her orders. I tested Xi Xinyi the other day with the intention of forcing her to make a move. Keep track of Yang Jianfeng’s bank account and see if he took or spent any money anywhere. You should be able to find him quickly that way.”
“Mmm, that’s a good idea. He probably doesn’t have much cash on himself if he’s going alone. He’ll surely need money. I’ll investigate tomorrow. Wait for my good news.”
“Thank you, Detective Zhang!”
“You’re welcome. Goodbye!”
…
Xi Xiaye took a deep breath and remained silent for some time after hanging up. She then continued to work on her proposal.
It was nearly 11 p.m. when Mu Yuchen woke up. He crawled out of bed without turning the lights on. When he glanced around and saw just the wall lamps turned on, highlighting her windbreaker in the shadows, he knew that she was back. He could also see some lights from outside the room. Then, he washed up.
When her stomach growled in protest, Xi Xiaye noticed that she had not had dinner yet. As she was going downstairs for some porridge, she saw several dishes on the table.
Did he wake up?
She raised her eyebrows as she walked into the kitchen.
Before she could go in, he came out with two bowls in his hands.
“Why did you drink so much?” She took the porridge from him and stated, “Also, I found the license of the girl, Lingshi, that you mentioned before inside the drawer…”
“Mmm, she asked Su Chen for it, so he delivered it to me today. She should be coming back in a week or two. There’s something I need to arrange. When she comes back, I’ll need you to liaise with the Imperial Sky Entertainment Club. Don’t they still need a supervisor? Let her handle it,” he said indifferently, but a faint worry line betrayed his face.
The Imperial Sky Entertainment Club?
Xi Xiaye went quiet. After a moment, she looked at him and asked quietly, “Isn’t Ah Mo taking care of that place now?”
“Ah Mo is handling the project at City B right now. Things are a little… complicated between him and Lingshi. You’ll understand in the future,” Mu Yuchen admitted. He took a pause before continuing, “Ah Mo was adopted by Grandfather and was put under my parents’ name. Lingshi was adopted under my parents’ name as well after my aunt passed away, so you’re their sister-in-law. If possible, help them out whenever they need it.”