Chapter 730 - Auction (1)
It did not take more than half an hour for them to reach the private airport as Zhou Zimo sped all the way there.
The airplane steadily flew through the clouds. Inside the luxurious private plane, Mu Yuchen leisurely poured himself two glasses of whiskey. He walked over and handed one of the glasses to Zhou Zimo before he sat down as he took a swig.
“How’s it going? How do you feel being a father?” Zhou Zimo took a swig and looked amusedly at Mu Yuchen as he teased, “Why do I feel like you’ve become thinner? This little thing has worn you out.”
Mu Yuchen smiled helplessly. The light that gathered in his eyes had some tenderness to it. He sighed and said, “The little thing likes to weep on the daily. His condition will stabilize after a few more days in the incubator. Then, Xiaye can be discharged and go home too. He probably won’t be a worry-free little fellow in the future either.”
“Don’t you plan on having a full moon banquet?” Zhou Zimo squinted and asked. Then, he took another sip. “I’ve even already prepared the present.”
“We’ll see about the 100th day. Xiaye doesn’t quite like the bustle anyway. Besides, if it’s not something valuable, I won’t accept it.”
“Please, would I bring something unpresentable for your son? You’ll see when the time comes!”
Mu Yuchen laughed, the two buddies clinked their glasses and downed the whole glass at a go.
Zhou Zimo picked up the bottle to pour more as he looked up at Mu Yuchen to ask, “Did you hear about something from City Z? Otherwise, why would you be rushing over at such a time? Do you have a lot of work? Tell me more.”
Mu Yuchen leaned languidly against the sofa, lifting a hand to prop his head up by the forehead. There was a heaviness gathered between his brows. “Remember that pen you saw the last time?”
“The pen? The Qinghua one embedded with gems?” Zhou Zimo immediately remembered how that pen looked. Since he was an amateur collector hobbyist as well, when he first saw that pen, he really liked it.
Mu Yuchen nodded indifferently and set aside his glass. “Mmm, that’s the one. Ah Bao managed to find out that it was the work of a famous guru in City B. The person who custom made it should be someone related to Aunty. I told Ah Bao to lay the nets there. Tonight, I’d like to invite you to watch a good show with me.”
“Oh? Are you sure there’ll be a good show?” Zhou Zimo glanced meaningfully at Mu Yuchen, seeming very interested.
“I’m not sure, but you can just pretend like I invited you out for a spin,” Mu Yuchen answered calmly.
Zhou Zimo rolled his eyes at him. “Going out for a spin with you really takes quite the effort, but I do know there’s a pretty decent hot spring over there. It should be early enough when we reach. Let’s go take a bath first.”
“I’ll satisfy you, but before that, let’s go with the old rules.”
“We’ll go with the old rules then!”
Then, Zhou Zimo finished the drink in his glass in a go. He unbuttoned his shirt and took off his blazer before suddenly taking out a deck of cards and tossed it to Mu Yuchen. Mu Yuchen leisurely caressed the black cufflinks on his sleeve and slipped his blazer off. He picked up the cards and skillfully shuffled them.
Half an hour later, Mu Yuchen rolled over and lay down on the sofa while Zhou Zimo was rolling his sleeves up and going all out with the massage.
“You rarely come out to play cards with your buddies anymore, but your skills haven’t worsened. Still, it seems like you haven’t enjoyed yourself this much since we returned from service. Also, how long have you not relaxed? Why are you all stiff?”
“I don’t have the time,” Mu Yuchen answered calmly. He never liked going to those kinds of places anyway. After he got married, he just became a domesticated man.
When he heard his reply, Zhou Zimo could not help but cover his forehead as he sighed. “Chen, why do I feel like you’re about to become an old man? No wonder Su Chen said that the fun in you is about to whittle into nothing more.”
“Su Chen?”
Mu Yuchen softly muttered when he suddenly remembered the scene he saw in front of Ji Zitong’s florist. If he guessed correctly…
“A fire is about to start in his backyard. Just wait for a good show.” Mu Yuchen turned to smile mysteriously at Zhou Zimo.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
…
It was a dazzling afternoon. In a suite in Hospital T, Xi Mushan came to visit Xi Xiaye.
Xi Xiaye was just carrying her son, Mu Zicheng. The little guy had fallen asleep after having his fill of milk. With bleary eyes, he stared at her for a bit before falling asleep again. Xi Xiaye got the nurse to carry him back to the nursery.
“I told Mu Yuchen to bring Xi Xinyi over for a chat. I know that she went looking for you at West Park. How’s Yue Lingsi now?” Xi Xiaye propped herself up to sit down and looked at Xi Mushan who sat on the sofa.
Xi Mushan responded with a nod, “The other day, I looked at her from outside the ward. She’s not doing too well. It’s karma, I suppose.”
“She only has herself to blame for inviting all that she’s experiencing today. Father, since you and Mother have remarried, then promise me that you will focus on treating her well. The school is almost done with the preparations, and school will begin once it’s past the 15th. You should move over to live with Mother. Mu Yuchen’s already settled Grandpa’s end. Next will be you and Mother starting over again.”
Xi Xiaye’s tone was a little solemn as she spoke. She thought about it, then continued, “There are many good memories of you and Mother at University A. The other day, I flipped through Mu Yuchen’s document. I know that he secretly bought a huge chunk of University A shares under both your names, and he appointed you as Vice President of the school with a simple aim. Apart from wanting to make you feel better, it’s also to let you and Mother be together again to relive your good times.”
“Mmm, I’m very well aware of this. Ah Chen’s thoughtful.” Xi Mushan felt very glad. He could not help but feel a little guilty too. As he wanted to say something more, Xi Xiaye could also guess what he wanted to say, so she spoke up first to stop him, “I won’t say much now. School’s reopening in another two days. I’ll get Mu Yuchen to arrange for someone to help you with the move. Also, Father, on Su Nan’s end, Ruan Heng isn’t awake yet. You and Mother should look after Uncle Su’s family too.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of that.”
“Father, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.” Xi Xiaye suddenly fixed her eyes on Xi Mushan whose gaze flickered. “Have you ever regretted giving up your role as Mayor?”
When Xi Xiaye asked this, Xi Mushan was stunned for a moment. He thought about it for a long time before responding, “There’s no such thing as regretting it or not. To me, there’s actually nothing more important than your mother. Do you know why I haven’t been willing to face your mother these twenty over years?”
Xi Mushan’s low and raspy voice was filled with an aged and bleak tone while his profound gaze quietly focused on Xi Xiaye.