CHAPTER 516: CHAPTER 516: A LITTLE SECRET

The night was deep and quiet.

Yan Qianyi leaned back in the lounge chair, flipping through her mother’s diary.

Her mother had recorded every bit of her growth in that diary.

Looking at the contents, she seemed to see the happy scenes of their family in the past.

Tears uncontrollably fell down her cheeks.

Mu Yunlie pushed the door open and came in; she quickly raised her hand to wipe away the tears, but he still saw them.

He sat down next to her, "Thinking about Mom again?"

Yan Qianyi gently nodded, "The fuzzy memories from my childhood have gradually become clear after reading Mom’s diary. It feels like everything happened just yesterday, back then, our family was really happy."

Comparing those times to the current state of the Yan Family, sorrow naturally welled up within her.

Mu Yunlie tenderly wiped away Yan Qianyi’s tears, "In the past, your happiness was given by Mom, from now on, I will be responsible for your happiness."

Yan Qianyi smiled softly; with Mu Yunlie by her side, she was happy too.

He was like a beam of light shining into her fragmented world.

"Ah Lie, thank you, it’s really nice to have you."

"Silly," Mu Yunlie ruffled her hair, "We’re husband and wife, there’s no need for thanks between us. If you really want to thank me, then don’t cry, I can’t bear to see your tears."

"Okay!" Yan Qianyi rubbed her eyes forcefully, "I won’t cry anymore."

"You seem to have something on your mind lately?" Mu Yunlie asked.

"Not really."

"Are you hesitating about whether or not to invite Yan Hong to the wedding?"

Yan Qianyi paused.

She hadn’t expected Mu Yunlie to notice.

Indeed, she was struggling with this issue.

Lately, whenever she had a moment, she would hold onto her mother’s diary.

In the diary, she saw her father who once cherished her.

Her mother was very grateful to Yan Hong for leaving her a brother, so before she left, she made Aunt Xue leave her a message, telling her to forgive him no matter what he did.

Because after all, he was her biological father.

She wanted to listen to her mother.

But every time she thought about what Yan Hong had done to her, she felt cold and angry.

Seeing that Yan Qianyi didn’t answer, Mu Yunlie knew he had guessed right.

He said, "Don’t think too much, just follow your heart."

Yan Qianyi asked, "Would you be willing to let him attend our wedding?"

Previously, Yan Hong had treated Mu Yunlie very badly, and surely Mu Yunlie must have disliked him, too.

Mu Yunlie said, "It doesn’t matter to me, you don’t have to worry about me, as long as you are willing and happy. And even if we invite him to the wedding, you don’t have to worry too much, he definitely wouldn’t dare to misbehave."

Yan Qianyi thought for a moment and sighed, "Let’s forget it. We have already severed father-daughter ties; there’s no need."

"Don’t rush, you still have time to think it over."

"Okay," Yan Qianyi took a deep breath, "Let’s not talk about these unhappy things. I actually have something I want to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"My maid of honor is Chu Hua, have you decided on your best man yet? Is it Vice Officer Pei?" Yan Qianyi asked.

She didn’t know any other friends of Mu Yunlie.

He didn’t seem to have friends; he only associated with Vice Officer Pei.

Mu Yunlie said, "No, I haven’t considered the best man issue yet."

"Time to think about it, don’t you need to have their suits custom-made?"

"Alright then, you decide."

"Me? But shouldn’t you be the one to decide your own best man?"

"It doesn’t matter, your friends could also be groomsmen, as Vice Officer Pei has other arrangements that day."

Yan Qianyi’s face lit up with joy, "Really? I can decide?"

"Of course, I don’t have someone appropriate to be the best man anyway."

Yan Qianyi quickly said, "Then let it be Xia Ziyu!"

Mu Yunlie laughed, "If you already had someone in mind, why ask for my opinion? You could have decided this yourself."

"After all, I only have one bridesmaid on my side, so I definitely had to save a groomsman spot for your friends."

"It doesn’t matter to me, I don’t care, as long as the bride is you."

Mu Yunlie said this and kissed Yan Qianyi’s cheek, "However, having a prince and a princess serve as groomsmen is indeed a nice touch."

"Actually, Xia Ziyu wasn’t my first choice. I originally wanted Yun Mu to be the best man."

"Oh?" Mu Yunlie was surprised, "Why? You seem to be closer to Xia Ziyu than Yun Mu on a regular basis."

"I’ll tell you, but you must keep it a secret, you can’t let it out."

"Alright."

Yan Qianyi brought her lips close to Mu Yunlie’s ear and told him about Yan Chuhua and Yun Mu.

She wanted Yun Mu to be a groomsman to help Yan Chuhua.

But Xia Ziyu insisted on fighting for the spot, even threatening her with ending their friendship if he couldn’t be the best man.

Yun Mu, being easy-going, took the initiative to suggest giving the spot to Xia Ziyu if there was an opening.

After hearing this, Mu Yunlie smiled, "Feigning a relationship to stay in the Federation Empire, was that your idea for Yan Chuhua?"

"Not at all, they came up with it on their own."

"But that’s not a long-term solution. The King and Queen will find out sooner or later, and this way, Yan Chuhua can’t have an open relationship with Yun Mu."

"Yeah, I’ve told them that too but there’s no other way for now, we’ll just have to play it by ear."

Seeing Mu Yunlie smile, Yan Qianyi asked, "Do you think we’re childish?"

Sometimes she also thought Chuhua and the others were quite immature.

After all, she was no longer twenty years old psychologically.

"No, it’s quite amusing. I like hearing about the things happening around you." Mu Yunlie looked at Yan Qianyi with gently furrowed brows and tender eyes.

In the past, she wouldn’t share anything with him.

Now that she was willing to share little secrets with her friends, he was very happy.

"Really? Then let me tell you something funny. Xiaoguang, he’s quite poor, right? And then he..."

Yan Qianyi started to chatter non-stop with Mu Yunlie about the amusing things around her, and Mu Yunlie listened with interest, laughing along with her.

He never used to be interested in these kids’ affairs.

...

That day, Ning Nuan visited the Mu Family.

Mu Huaner had been avoiding her for some time, and she had begun to sense that Mu Huaner was doing so intentionally, which is why she made a special trip to wait for Mu Huaner at their house.

Just as Mu Huaner was about to leave the house, she was surprised to see Ning Nuan, "Nuannuan, what brings you here?"

"I came to wish Grandpa Mu a happy new year and, incidentally, to ask little aunt for a favor."

Mu Huaner looked around and seeing that no one was nearby, whispered, "Nuannuan, I’ve already made myself clear last time. You should just give up."

"Yeah, I’ll listen to little aunt." Ning Nuan nodded obediently, "After going back, I thought about it carefully. Little aunt is right; loving someone doesn’t mean you have to possess them, but rather you should wish for their happiness."