Ever since she accidentally slept with Zhang Ye, Xia Ning had been avoiding him. Unexpectedly, he went to great lengths to find her, and his words implied that he wanted a formal title.

Xia Ning was a little annoyed. She basically had no feelings for Zhang Ye, so it would be strange if she could suddenly fall for a man she had only met the day before.

She said bluntly, "I think this is a matter of mutual consent. Can you honestly say you didn't enjoy it? So we're even. Don't come looking for me again."

Zhang Ye wasn't annoyed after hearing this, and simply said, "My parents are pressuring me to get married, I just want you to play the role of my girlfriend for a while."

Xia Ning was skeptical: "Really? You're not kidding me."

Zhang Ye nodded, "Come back with me for the Mid-Autumn Festival, have a meal with them, and this matter will be over."

Xia Ning felt a little itchy when he brought up that matter again, and her face turned slightly red. "You have to keep your word."

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xia Ning went to his parents' house with him. Before leaving, his grandmother asked, "Where are you going, Ning Ning? Will you be back tonight?"

Xia Ning nodded. "I went with a friend to run some errands today, and I'll be back this afternoon."

Zhang Ye drove directly to her house and honked the horn twice. Xia Ning quickly got into the car before his window rolled down, so as not to be seen by her grandmother and cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.

Looking at her, Zhang Ye couldn't help but want to laugh. "Why are you hiding? Are you hiding something?"

She gave a forced smile: "Even if there were ghosts, there couldn't be one like you."

Xia Ning fastened her seatbelt and asked, "Do you want to go buy something? I can't go empty-handed, can I?"

Zhang Ye chuckled and scoffed, "You're quite the actor, even as an extra."

Xia Ning rolled her eyes. "What else? I'm a good actress."

He pointed to the back row, "I've already bought everything. You're the actor I hired, how could I let you spend so much money?"

Xia Ning couldn't help but laugh, "You're quite well-prepared."

The two returned to his parents' house together, where Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were exceptionally hospitable, as if she were their own daughter.

Xia Ning was touched by their enthusiasm and sincerity. While washing her hands in the restroom, she quietly said to Zhang Ye, "Isn't this a bad thing? I see that the uncle and aunt are very happy. Is it appropriate to lie to them like this?"

Zhang Ye leaned closer, "Then why don't you make this a real-life charade with me?"

Xia Ning was stunned, then said, "Don't be dreaming."

He splashed water on her face and said, "Don't feel too much pressure. They all react like this when they see me bring a girl home."

Xia Ning felt that he was implying she was overthinking things, so she seized on the loophole in his conversation, "You've brought girls home before?"

Zhang Ye pushed her out, saying, "You're really overthinking this time. Hurry up and eat."

After spending some time together, Zhang's mother grew to like her very much. If it weren't for the fact that the two weren't married yet, she would have wanted her to stay.

Zhang Ye rescued Xia Ning, saying, "Alright, Mom, being so enthusiastic on our first meeting is going to scare her away."

He picked up the car keys. "Alright, it's getting late. I'll take you home."

Zhang's mother saw them off all the way to their car and gave Xia Ning a lot of food, saying, "Take this and eat it on the way."

Although the journey wasn't long, Zhang's mother prepared two large bags full of supplies.

She finally relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief after the car drove out of the residential area. "Is this the end of the performance?"

Zhang Ye glanced at her. "It's fine for now."

Xia Ning frowned. "What do you mean?"

Zhang Ye tapped the steering wheel. "Don't you think it would be a bit deliberate for us to break up right after meeting each other's parents? So I suggest we pretend for a while, it won't bother you at all."

Xia Ning pinched his arm, "Why didn't you say so earlier? If you had told me you would help this time, it would have been fine."

Zhang Ye gasped for breath as she pinched him. "Let go, let go! I'm driving, don't bother me."

The two returned to Shangxi Village, and Xia Ning left the things in the car, saying, "Your mother gave these to you, you can eat them yourself, I don't want them."

She closed the car door and went inside. Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and her grandmother called out, "Who is it? Come in."

Zhang Ye carried the things inside and greeted, "Hello, Grandma."

Grandma had been to the clinic before and vaguely remembered him, so she asked, "Are you Dr. Zhang?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "It's me. I'm Xia Ning's friend. Is she here?"

Grandma called upstairs, "Ningning, your friend is here to see you."

Xia Ning sat up in bed. She only had a few close friends in the village, and most of the grandmothers knew her. Who had come to find her?

She peeked out and saw Zhang Ye look up at her with a polite smile, "You forgot your things."

Xia Ning slammed the window shut and said, "Grandma, I don't know him. Let him go."

Grandma looked bewildered. "Do you two know each other or not?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Grandma, I'm ashamed to say, but I upset her because of some things, so we had a fight."

Grandma had a look of smug satisfaction on her face; this must be more than just a friend.

Grandma invited him in and brought him some tea and snacks, then poured him a cup of tea, saying, "I apologize for not being hospitable enough; we don't have much to go with tea."

Zhang Ye picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "It's alright, Grandma. This tea is good. I'll drink more."

Seeing that Xia Ning was not coming downstairs for a long time, Grandma called to her from the top of the stairs, "Ningning, come down quickly, don't keep the guests waiting."

Xia Ning kicked the blanket irritably, "Coming."

She went downstairs and walked over, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What exactly do you want?"

Zhang Ye glanced at Grandma Xia. "Didn't I bring you something? I told you you left it in the car."

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