“I was passing by, so I came to look, but the door was closed. I thought you weren’t back yet,” Qi Lei calmly replied.

Dongfang Liuyun picked up her pace and walked up too. She took out her keys from the pocket of her coat to open the door. “I made a trip to Xinjiang and stayed for quite a few days.”

“It should be quite cold there at this time of the year.” Qi Lei followed after her. As he watched her, he felt as if she had grown thinner, and she looked slightly pale. Her starry eyes could not hide the hint of fatigue.

“It’s the season of Great Snow over there right now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been back so soon,” she said and she pushed open the door, then kept the keys in her pocket. She set the black backpack on her shoulders onto the counter, then turned to walk out and to the trunk of the car. She opened it and took a piece of black luggage out. It looked very heavy and she seemed to carry it laboriously.

When Qi Lei saw that, he walked up to her to take it.

Dongfang Liuyun did not reject his help. “It’s quite heavy. Be careful.”

“I went to the underground city of the Holy Land. The terrains there were rather complicated, and it would’ve been quite hard for me to have gone through it alone. I managed to force my way through the guardian with a full body of armor. Plus, there were holy beasts guarding the area,” Qi Lei picked up the luggage quite easily as he said to Dongfang Liuyun.

“You got the map to the Holy Land? You went in when you haven’t even finished putting together the scattered pieces of the map. Your courage sure deserves praise.” Dongfang Liuyun smiled calmly. “I haven’t had time to go online these days. The new server upgrade should be pretty good. I’ll check it out in another two days. I have to rest first.”

“You really work quite hard,” Qi Lei shot her a side look and said with a lowered voice.

“An inspection team in Xinjiang has discovered a group of tombs. I thought it might have something I was interested in, so I went to look, but then I got caught in the weather and stayed in the desert for quite a few days. Since I couldn’t run my usual inspection in such a short amount of time, I came home. I’ll go look again when the weather gets warmer after the New Year.”

Dongfang Liuyun rarely spoke about these things to anyone first, but since Qi Lei was waiting around here and she was in a good mood, she briefly told him about it.

“What about you? I heard you’ve been preparing for the new company. When are you planning on launching it?” She had also heard a bit about Qi Lei’s matters from Yang Sheng before this, so she decided to ask him about it.

Qi Lei never really talked much to anyone about work either. He and Dongfang Liuyun felt like they had been friends for many years now. When they gathered, they would mostly drink and chat, or talk about some interesting things. Their relationship felt quite comfortable.

He put the luggage onto a rack on the site. Then, Qi Lei took out a red invitation from his pocket and handed it to her. “I’ve been wanting to get you an invitation. It’s to be launched on the 15th after the New Year during the Lantern Festival. Will you come?”

Dongfang Liuyun stopped walking and calmly took a look at the invitation before her. She looked up slightly and gave Qi Lei a tilted glance as her fair, slender fingers reached out to take it and casually flipped through it.

Moments after that, she closed the invitation and chuckled lightly. “Congratulations.”

“Show up and congratulate me then. I’d be happier.” Qi Feng smiled at her. Taking a look at the weather outside, he then continued, “Pack up. Let’s find a place for dinner. Consider it a welcome home for you.”

“I’ve no need for a welcome home now. Let’s just find a simple place for dinner. The library’s closed tomorrow, so I want to rush over to get a few reference books before that.”

“You’re quite something.”

“Just get used to it. I feel more fulfilled in being busy.”

“Not everyone is this dedicated to their work and being in this state of mind!” Qi Lei thought about it then responded.

Dongfang Liuyun raised her brows and looked at him with amusement as she smiled. “Such as you, you mean?” Then, she lifted up the beaded curtain and walked in.

“I’m a young man who works hard too,” Qi Lei brushed his nose as he explained devilishly and followed after her.

Her frail figure passed through the long walkway before she took off the coat on her and tossed it casually onto the couch on the site. Qi Lei, who followed behind, then realized that De Bao had such a large kitchen. As he stood at the door, he could see that the clean and tidy kitchen had everything. The rack across was complete with all sorts of knives and kitchen tools. Even his newly furnished kitchen might not be as comprehensive as this.

“As a man independent at 30, do you think you’re still a young kid? No need to go out now. We have noodles here. If you’re okay with it, then stay and put up with it. Otherwise, there’s a restaurant with pretty good ambiance when you walk out about 100 meters to the right,” Dongfang Liuyun said. Then, she tied her long hair into a casual bun, unbuttoned her sleeves, washed her hands, and began to get busy.

Qi Lei raised his handsome brows. Of course, he was not going to miss this chance, so he offered to help, but she chased him off to go close the door outside.

…

It was the evening as the gentle golden light streamed into Maple Residence.

Mu Yuchen was about to go down to the kitchen to prepare dinner when Sis Wang suddenly came over to inform him, “Master, Master Su and Master Mo are here.”

Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen was quite surprised. He casually unbuttoned his sleeves, folded them up, then asked after moments, “Do we have any more good ingredients at home?”

“Missus says she’s getting tired of some dishes now, so I just cleared the fridge, I was thinking that since I’m going home tonight, I’ll go buy some fresh ingredients when I return tomorrow morning,” Sis Wang replied.

“No worries. Please take your rest as planned.” Mu Yuchen saw that Sis Wang was all packed up already and about to go home, so he said that as he turned to walk upstairs and shouted, “Xiaye, come down for a bit!”

Sis Wang smiled and did not want to bother them, so she quietly left.

Xi Xiaye was watching a cartoon with Mu Zirui. When she heard her husband calling for her, she got up and went out.

“What is it?”

She had just walked to the door when she saw the man standing there.

“Su Chen and Zimo are here. They must be here for dinner. Go buy some ingredients from the supermarket. Just get whatever you like. Also, remember to get Xiao Rui a new drawing board.”

When Xi Xiaye heard that, she raised her brows then put out a hand to Mu Yuchen.

He glanced at her then laughed softly before reprimanding her, “Lazy bum!”

Nevertheless, as he said that, he reached into his pocket and quickly took out a black wallet to hand to her.

Xi Xiaye took it very quickly as she turned to say to Mu Zirui who was still watching television, “Son, come grocery shopping with Mother.”