Accusations of not wanting to marry: The prosecutor pressed him relentlessly.

The day after tomorrow, Grandpa Mu will take a private jet back to Beicheng. Mu Huai will not be there, so Mu Wangbei and his mother will go to pick him up at the airport.

He'll naturally have to stay there tonight, and he'll probably have to go there for the whole weekend, so he won't be able to stay home with her.

Today, even their director came to the office to inquire about the old man's health.

Mu Wangbei wanted his grandfather to meet Fang Youxi, but he didn't want to tell her directly, fearing it would put pressure on her.

He also needed to give the old man a heads-up in advance.

While driving, Mu Wangbei casually mentioned, "Tangtang, I have some things to take care of the day after tomorrow, so I might not be able to come back tonight."

Fang Youxi looked down and played with her fingernails: "You go ahead with your work. I promised to pick my dad up from get off work the day after tomorrow and have dinner with him."

Tang Zhang would remind her two days in advance every week about the regular Wednesday schedule.

I received a reminder message during the meeting this afternoon, afraid she might forget.

Mu Wangbei tentatively suggested, "If you don't have any other plans for the Spring Festival, how about we find an opportunity to have a meal with our elders?"

Fang Youxi looked up at him directly, then lowered her head without saying a word. She was unwilling, but she couldn't refuse directly.

Mu Wangbei coaxed her gently, "I'm not forcing you. I was just thinking that you would take me to your grandfather's house for dinner. My grandfather is also going back to Beicheng this Spring Festival. The elders will always care about me since they know I have a girlfriend."

They were almost home, and Fang Youxi couldn't think of any other way, so she simply turned her face away and pretended to be asleep.

She really didn't want to make things so complicated. She felt more and more uncomfortable. It was as if someone was pushing her into a program, and every step was following the usual routine. But why was dating so troublesome?

Moreover, Mu Wangbei's family is not an ordinary family. At this moment, Fang Youxi probably understood the significance of Tang Zhanghe's words: You're not even getting married, yet you go and provoke Mu Wangbei. Tell me, what exactly do you want to do?

Although, Grandpa Mu and Minister Mu may not necessarily approve of her.

But she didn't care about any of that.

As previously agreed, dating is a private matter between the two people, and they should try not to involve their families. Mu Wangbei did agree to this. Now that he has met Fang Youxi's family, he can't help but want to take her home to meet his elders as well.

Judging from Fang Youxi's attitude, he knew without needing to say more that she was unlikely to be willing.

Mu Wangbei thought that if Jiang Chengyun hadn't run into her having dinner with Lu Yanli, she might not even know who her parents were.

When they arrived home, he parked the car and gently patted Fang Youxi on the shoulder: "Tangtang's home."

Fang Youxi yawned in a mock-sounding voice and said, "I'm so tired after a long day of meetings, I just fell asleep."

As adults, we all know how to save face for each other, so no one exposed the other, and the matter was simply brushed aside.

Back home, Fang Youxi took a shower and went to bed first.

She was genuinely exhausted. Although Gao Li had done today's progress report, she had prepared at least half of the content. Lu Yanli said they were working hard, but the points he would mention later would keep them busy for a while. With the Spring Festival just around the corner, they were truly working non-stop.

Mu Wangbei was on the phone in the living room. His father was calling to give him some instructions on how to pick up his grandfather. The old man was getting on in years, and although he had a doctor by his side all year round, he was still worried that the sudden change in climate after returning from the south might make him unaccustomed to it.

When he returned to the bedroom, Fang Youxi was already asleep.

Mu Wangbei squatted down by the bed and watched her for a while. No matter how big the matter was, it wouldn't disturb her sleep. It seemed that even if she was unhappy, it would only last for a short while. He gently flicked her nose, carefree and oblivious.

"Never mind, let's wait a bit longer." He turned off the bedside lamp on Fang Youxi's side, afraid of disturbing her, and went to take a shower in the bathroom outside.

Before going to bed, Jiang Chengyun received a WeChat message from Yun Qiao: "I might be a few days late returning to Beicheng."

Having finally managed to go back, it was only right to stay a few more days. Without much thought, he replied with "Okay," then turned off the lights and went to sleep.

Yun Qiao stared at the word "OK" on her phone for a full five minutes.

It's already 11:30, and she's still at the hospital. She only found out when she came back that her mother was sick; she has late-stage cervical cancer and has been hospitalized for half a month.

When I call home, my parents only report good news and never bad news.

Despite the fact that her mother was seriously ill, her father, brother, and sister didn't tell her, for fear that she would worry or spend money.

In recent years, she has sent a lot of money back home. Firstly, her younger siblings are still young and need money for many things. Secondly, her parents are getting old, and although running a small food shop from dawn to dusk can earn them some money, it is too hard for her, and she can't bear to do it.

Unexpectedly, her parents didn't use the money she sent back much. They saved it for her, saying that she could take it back to her family after she got married. They said that their small family could manage, but she was in a big city and was afraid that her in-laws would look down on her if she didn't have some money to rely on.

Her parents always thought she was a manager at a high-end French restaurant, after all, she graduated from Beicheng Foreign Languages ​​Institute and minored in French when she was in college. At this moment, Yun Qiao felt ashamed. Three years after graduation, she had not found a proper job and was just being supported by Jiang Chengyun.

She just said she would be going back a few days later, and Jiang Chengyun didn't ask what was causing the delay, only replying with a simple "okay".

I'm afraid he doesn't care so much whether she's by his side or not.

Yun Qiao felt pathetic. She knew this relationship wouldn't last, but she just couldn't bear to let go. It had been almost five years, and she had become whatever he liked, becoming less and less like herself. No matter how glamorous and alluring the world of fame and fortune in Beicheng was, it was ultimately not a place someone like her could fit into. It was all wishful thinking on her part.

Thinking of this, she put her phone on silent, tiptoed into the ward, and as she pushed open the door, she heard her mother groan in pain, which she forced back down because of her.

"Mom, if it hurts, just yell out. It's okay."

Yunqiao wanted to hire a caregiver, but her mother was reluctant because she was worried about the cost. Her younger siblings still needed to go to school, so she had been taking care of them at the hospital for the past two days, otherwise her father would have had too much trouble by himself.

"It doesn't hurt that much, go to sleep, baby. I'm not going to be gone anytime soon. Why don't you go back tomorrow? What kind of job makes you take so much leave? Your boss must be unhappy."

Looking at her mother's gaunt face, Yun Qiao felt a sharp pain in her heart: "Mom, why don't we go to Beicheng for treatment? The medical technology there is better, and your illness..."

"Beicheng is so far away, what would I do there? If you ask me, chemotherapy is unnecessary, it's just suffering for nothing. I'll just see you a few more times. It's all fate, kid. You finally got into university and came to a big city. Your boyfriend's family is well-off, so don't worry about your family too much. Your dad and I have saved up for the tuition of your second and third children, so we won't be a burden on you. You should get married while you're still young, then I can rest easy."

Yun Qiao smiled and nodded, "Okay."

"Sleep well, baby."

The ward was so quiet that you could hear the two of them breathing softly. Yun Qiao lay awake in the darkness, wide awake.