Chapter 1080: Kinship and Loyalty 5

"How are things at home?" Mu Yuchen immediately asked, lowering his gaze so that Ah Mo could not read his eyes.

"Grandfather's not too great. Yesterday he locked himself in the study room as soon as we got home. He didn't say a word or let us in. Father was worried that something might happen, so he pried open the door and saw that he had just been flipping through Grandmother's old pictures. He seemed out of it. They got the doctor to give him a sedative before he fell asleep. When I went over today, he was still asleep," Ah Mo said with a solemn tone.

"Lingshi's crumbled. She keeps shouting about wanting to look for Gu Qiwu to settle the score, but...Father's been holding back his pain and consoling them. I'm afraid that the funeral arrangements..."

"I've already gotten Li Si to settle the funeral arrangements. See if we can just skip the memorial service. Grandmother was indifferent to worldly rewards her whole life. I think if it wouldn't be nice to have it so large-scale. Let's just let her leave quietly. Zimo, help me oversee this. Ah Mo, you take good care of Lingshi. This thing has nothing to do with her, so tell her not to overthink it."

Mu Yuchen obviously knew Mu Lingshi well. She would probably be blaming herself for what happened even if was not her fault. After all, who could have thought that Gu Qiwu and Mu Zi were indeed her biological parents?

Ah Mo obviously knew what Mu Yuchen was thinking, so he quickly nodded. "Don't worry, Bro. Miss Ji is with her at Mother's place. I've been sharing the burden in hopes that it will make her feel better."

Mu Yuchen set down the teacup in hand as he responded, "Go over and take a look at the situation on Li Si's end."

Ah Mo thought about it for a while before he said, "Yes, Bro! But I think that it won't be possible to skip the memorial service, I'll do my best to keep it within controlled parameters, so don't worry. I'll get this done properly."

"Chen, just let me and Ah Mo worry about this. I don't think you're doing too well, so just rest. I think the memorial service will probably be tomorrow. Li Si's already in contact with the people from the military district, and they'll get into an agreement soon. As for the news about Grandmother's passing, we can announce that this afternoon," Zhou Zimo spoke carefully in a lowered tone.

Mu Yuchen lifted a hand to massage the space between his brows as he breathed in. "I'll let you work it out."

"Okay. Right, Doris landed in City Z at about 7 p.m. last night. Right now, she's at the Gu family's mansion. Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha went to pick her up themselves. In fact, Qi Qiming prepared dinner at home, but Doris didn't go over. I think she must still be unhappy about the wedding."

"Doris? She's really here?" Ah Mo said as Zhou Zimo frowned and turned to look at Mu Yuchen. "I almost forgot that their wedding should be coming up quite soon."

"It's this weekend. In fact, by the looks of their invitation, it's going to be quite grand. I think they're set on something. Bro, I've already gotten someone to watch over them. I'll immediately update you if anything happens." A hint of tensed sternness and gloominess gathered on Ah Mo's handsome face.

Mu Yuchen held up his heavy head and shut his eyes gently. "These are troubled times. We'll have to be more careful. It's of utmost importance that we don't slack. Settle grandmother's funeral as soon as possible. Calming Grandfather and our parents are key."

"Got it!" Ah Mo responded, then left instantly. Only Mu Yuchen and Zhou Zimo were left in the spacious living room.

...

Zhou Zimo squinted at Mu Yuchen for a long time, and finally could not help but speak out, "What are you planning to do after this? Your grandmother already couldn't handle it at just the first step of this matter, we can't be sure of what else will happen. Chen, there are some things that I know you don't want to hear, but as your buddy, I have to, even if you'll beat me up!"

Mu Yuchen, who sat quietly unmoving, only gave him a cold gaze just like he did last night. His eyes held a hint of warning.

Nevertheless, Zhou Zimo could not care less. He continued, "That's enough. How much more are you going to hurt yourself for all of these trivial matters? I really think that it was so unworthy on behalf of your grandmother, on behalf of you, and even the entire Mu family!"

"Alright, Zimo, stop talking. I told you that I don't want to hear these things again." Mu Yuchen's tone was cold and filled with certainty when he instantly stopped Zhou Zimo. "Mu Zi is my aunt and my grandparents' only daughter. I respected her as my elder, and I did the best I could for her. This was all for kinship, for blood relations. Lingtian should have been my cousin, but he became my brother. I protect him for loyalty. Shouldn't there be loyalty between brothers?"

"So, whether it's worth it or not has nothing to do with that. All of these are things that ought to be done. They let us down, but...if one day, you stood in my shoes, you would make the same choices."

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Zimo suddenly felt that he was speechless. After a long while, he forced a smile and patted Mu Yuchen's shoulders. "It's not easy to be someone who values kinship and loyalty. That's why you exist! Forget it. I'm not hoping that you'll change your mind about it. You are someone who's kind to others but cruel to himself."

"Master, Master Qi's here!"

Zhou Zimo had just finished when Sis Wang's voice called out from outside.

Before she finished, Qi Lei's tall figure had already walked in. When he saw Zhou Zimo there, he was stunned for a moment. He walked up in a few huge steps with concern and uneasiness that could not be concealed in his eyes.

"What happened? Why did I suddenly hear that Grandmother Mu...Is it true?" As Qi Lei asked this, he instantly felt like he should not have because just as he moved closer, he could already feel the stifled air coming from the two people sitting on the sofa.

"Yang Sheng found out about it from Li Si. How did she get a heart attack? Hasn't Grandmother always been quite healthy? Did something happen?" Qi Lei asked in concern.

As he finished, Zhou Zimo gave him a brief rundown. By the time he reached the end, Qi Lei's handsome face was colored with disbelief. "What did you say? Mu Lingshi...she and Lingsha are...Gu Qiwu is Lingshi's biological father? How could this be? How could it be?"

This was so outrageous!

Qi Lei had roughly heard about this, but now that he got the confirmation from the people themselves and restored the truth, he found it quite hard to believe! He had been in touch with Gu Qiwu before, and everyone could see his loyalty for Doris. How did Mu Zi end up getting involved with him?