“I can learn anything else, but not hypnosis.” Li Mu did not agree with Lin Wan's suggestion and rejected her without hesitation.

“Why?”

“Because I have a stronger sense of security than you do. Lin Wan, you’ll only be able to completely relax when you do not depend on hypnosis anymore. Don't rush. Take your time. I’m sure that’ll happen sooner or later.”

He Xiaoyu rushed up to Li Mu as soon as he left Lin Wan’s office.

“Li Mu, how was it?”

Li Mu gestured ‘OK’ and waved his hand towards her as they walked away while talking.

“She gave us a six-month rectification period, which was very generous of her already.”

He Xiaoyu twisted her head in the direction of the office and asked worriedly, “Since when has she become that kind? What did you do in exchange? What was the deal?”

“Nonsense. It's not like I used my body as an exchange for this. What's the deal? Don’t make it sound so nasty.”

“I just don't believe she’d be that kind. Did you promise her something in exchange? Li Mu, don't lie to me. I want to hear the truth!”

“I didn't promise her anything. We had a great conversation. In fact, I’d say this was our calmest conversation ever since our divorce. Both she and I managed to open up and be honest to each other!”

“And she let you go just like that? Do you trust what you said? Well, I don't. She's not that kind of person. Are you going to tell me the truth or not? I'm going to get angry if you don’t!”

“I realized that the two of you are becoming more and more alike. Alright, I'll tell you the truth. I told her everything about me and Shen Xingyue. And when I said everything, I meant everything. She liked what she heard. That’s all!”

Blinking her big pretty eyes, He Xiaoyu caught the point from Li Mu’s words and said cheerfully, “So, there is nothing between you and Shen Xingyue. Is that right?”

“Is this something you should be concerned about? Don't be so nosy, okay?”

“Why not? Don't forget that I'm your fiancee now. I have the right to know about your past!”

“Come on! You should be more concerned about improving the quality of our service. Six months is not a long time nor a short time. We really need to put some effort in internal reorganization.”

He Xiaoyu suddenly stood still and stopped moving. Li Mu looked at her in surprise, “What's wrong with you again?”

“Li Mu, we know our own situation the best. Think about it yourself. Are we really that bad?”

“What do you mean?”

“Li Mu, you fool. It’s true that we do have a problem. But she is fooling around with you. She must be up to something. Although I am not sure what’s her real intentions, I’m positive that she’ll never let us go that easily.”

Li Mu frowned at her and shook his head at her, “Don't talk about it here. Let’s think about it after we leave!”

The two of them walked out of the building together and saw Shen Xingyue waving at them from a distance.

Furious, He Xiaoyu said, “What's wrong with this woman? She's been haunting you like a ghost since the two of you met. What the hell does she want? Li Mu, remember, don't say yes no matter what she says!”

“Let’s deal with her for a bit. After all, she’s an old classmate of mine. We’ll do this for the sake of respect. Don't worry. I know what to do.”

Shen Xingyue had already walked over and asked Li Mu cheerfully, “Li Mu, have you met the leader?”

“Yeah, I did. I was criticized by her. I can't help it. Users are getting harder and harder to please these days. Sigh! Unlike big companies like yours, it’s not easy for small businesses to make a living.”

“Oh really?” Shen Xingyue giggled delicately, “So you're having such a hard time. What's the point of persisting then? Come to my company instead. I promise you’ll have better days.”

He Xiaoyu did not like what she heard. What did she mean? How could she blatantly snatch a staff away right under the boss’s nose? There was a fine line between joking and being rude. Shen Xingyue obviously did not take her seriously.

“Miss Shen, Li Mu was just joking. Don’t tell me you took it seriously! Although he doesn’t earn a lot in Dongyang Group, he has no problem when it comes to making a living. At least he’s not trying to rekindle some old flames!”

Shen Xingyue's expression changed a little as a hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes. However, she got back to normal immediately. Ignoring He Xiaoyu, she said to Li Mu, “Li Mu, it's been a long time since the last time we met each other. Don't you plan on treating me to a meal?”

“Of course I have to! Xiaoyu, call the Seven Blessings Hotel now and ask them to prepare a private room for us. We'll head there now!”

“Alright. No problem!”

The hint was clear in Li Mu’s words. He Xiaoyu picked up the hints and did so without hesitation. This was a call for her to be there the whole time so Shen Xingyue would not be able to do anything she wanted.

Shen Xingyue's attitude remained the same. She showed no dissatisfaction and accepted the invitation generously.

When the three of them arrived at the Seven Blessings Hotel, the lobby manager had already been waiting for them near the front door. Upon seeing He Xiaoyu, he went up to welcome them and warmly led them to a private room.

“Miss Shen, what would you like to eat?” Li Mu asked with a smile.

“You’re still calling me Miss Shen? Have you forgotten that we were classmates? Or are you being distant on purpose?” Shen Xingyue acted as if she was mad at him.

“It’s an occupational habit. Sorry. Sorry! What would you like to eat, Xingyue?” Li Mu changed his way of asking. She had a point. It was just a way of calling her anyway. There wasn’t a need for him to act so distantly on purpose. In fact, it would be easier for them to get along if they were honest and frank with each other.

Smiling, Shen Xingyue wasn’t shy on ordering. She asked for the menu and started to order, in which the majority of them were spicy Sichuan dishes. She told the lobby manager to put more peppers in the dishes while ordering.

Only did she say to He Xiaoyu after ordering, “Oops, Li Mu and I both love spicy food. Hence I forgot to ask for your opinion. Why don't you order something else on the menu for yourself?”

He Xiaoyu waved her hand indifferently and simply said, “It's okay. I love spicy food too. I can eat all those dishes you ordered!”

“That's good if you don’t mind. By the way, I forgot to ask you. Are you married?”

“Not yet!”

“Oh really? I do recall a lot of boys who were interested in you back in our schooling days. Why? Weren’t you interested in any of them?”

“Yeah, none of them were of my interest. Let’s not just talk about me. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“I had one who ran away after graduation！”

When Shen Xingyue said this, she locked her beautiful eyes on Li Mu sadly. Li Mu scratched his head awkwardly and immediately picked up the menu, “All these dishes are heaty food. Let me see if there are any dishes that’ll help with that.”

He Xiaoyu kicked Li Mu under the table and said to Shen Xingyue with a calm face, “Haven't you found another one after so many years?”

“I'm too busy with work. How would I have any more energy to find myself a boyfriend? Besides, I’m not interested in any of them. How would one be interested in grainy porridge after having Eight Treasure Congee? Li Mu, do you think I'm right?”

“Hey, I'm not trying to criticize you. But you’re being really ungrateful! I bet you can finish a bowl of stale porridge in no time if you have been starved for three days!”

Shen Xingyue covered her mouth and giggled gently. She rolled her eyes at Li Mu before asking He Xiaoyu, “Xiaoyu, how are you doing these years? Have you met someone that sparked your interest?”

“I did!” He Xiaoyu said happily, “We’re going to marry soon if nothing goes wrong!”

“Oh, really? Who is this man that’s lucky enough to be liked by you? Xiaoyu, you’re always known to be a cold beauty and of high standards. I can’t believe someone has actually succeeded in sparking your interest. He's really something!”

He Xiaoyu pointed her finger at Li Mu and said happily, “That's him. He's my fiance!”

Shen Xingyue almost bit her tongue. She didn’t catch her breath and started to choke and cough. She hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand and stared at them with wide eyes.

Happy with her reaction, He Xiaoyu raised her head proudly and smiled contemptuously.

It was only after a long time that Shen Xingyue reacted and grinned awkwardly, “So you're already engaged. No wonder! Li Mu and Xiaoyu, congratulations to both of you!”

It's not a good idea to be mean when Shen Xingyue took the initiate to congratulate them. He Xiaoyu took the lead in expressing her gratitude and Li Mu nodded politely at Shen Xingyue as well.

Their interactions and conversations afterwards were much friendlier. Shen Xingyue was not the kind of person who liked to make a scene out of nothing. Her trip to Shanyang this time was kind of and kind of not for Li Mu. Their meeting was totally by chance.

Now that she knew that Li Mu was getting married, she obviously knew how to draw the line especially in front of his fiancee. This news was an outcome she can accept. And it also fulfilled her heart's desire.

After the three of them chatted for a while, the delicious dishes were served one after another. Li Mu ordered a bottle of red wine and filled up the ladies’ glasses respectively before pouring a glass for himself.

Lifting up his glass, Li Mu said generously, “What a pleasure to have friends coming from afar! Xingyue, you’re an old friend of ours. Let me and Xiaoyu raise a toast to you！”

The three of them clinked their glasses together. Shen Xingyue paid extra attention to He Xiaoyu's finger and found that something was wrong. If she was engaged, why she didn't have an engagement ring on? She peeked at Li Mu's finger and realized he didn’t have one on too.

With a guess in mind, Shen Xingyue acted casually, “That’s a great saying, Li Mu. It's just a pity that I was too late to attend your engagement ceremony. I guess it must have been very lively and touching, right?”

Their faces were filled with embarrassment while Li Mu hurriedly changed the subject. He asked Shen Xingyue to have a good taste of the hotel chef's cooking.

Shen Xingyue got her answer now yet chose not to expose them on purpose. However, she has now changed her mind. Since they were not engaged yet, they couldn’t blame her for trying her luck on Li Mu.

This was not considered crossing the line. “Li Mu was supposed to be mine from the very start anyway. If I came back with him in the first place, our children would be running all over the place. He Xiaoyu would not even stand a single chance.” Shen Xingyue thought.

They ate well and happily. Shen Xingyue was careful to not cross lines. Hence He Xiaoyu stopped being mean to her whenever she could. Instead, the two of them even had a very pleasant conversation.

“Li Mu, Xiaoyu, I have a great opportunity for collaboration. Are you interested?”

“What great opportunity?” Li Mu asked.

“Mutual Finance Gateway. Have you heard of it before?”

Li Mu and He Xiaoyu shook their heads in confusion while Shen Xingyue acted surprisingly on purpose, “This is a group project which is about to take place at Shanyang Group. This is also the only master node in the country. It’s a huge project with several hundred million in scale. You’re telling me you guys know nothing about it?”

Li Mu looked at He Xiaoyu and found that the latter was as confused as he was. He could not help but frown and look at her. He Xiaoyu immediately picked up the hint and left the private room with the reason of excusing herself to the toilet.