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"Can we get down to business now?"
Ning Yuxuan walked to the streetlight and made a video call to Xie Zhiyan.
After the video call connected, Ning Yuxuan first zoomed in on her own side of the screen and looked in the mirror.
There was no oil on the corners of his mouth, and the chili powder from the skewers hadn't gotten on his face.
A man's muffled laughter came through the headphones.
Ning Yuxuan rolled her eyes: "Let me check my appearance. What's your opinion?"
"No objection." Xie Zhiyan's voice was clearly tinged with amusement.
Ning Yuxuan snorted.
After checking her appearance, Ning Yuxuan zoomed in on Xie Zhiyan's screen.
Judging from the background, Xie Zhiyan is in a hotel.
Ning Yuxuan stared curiously at the wall behind him: "Let me see, what level of hotel is President Xie staying at? What is the layout like?"
Xie Zhiyan chuckled: "We finally got through on video, and all you want to see is the hotel's furnishings?"
Ning Yuxuan blinked: "Otherwise what? I've seen all your people so many times, there's nothing special about them."
Xie Zhiyan sighed, but still changed the camera as instructed to show her the room's decor.
The suite was very spacious. Xie Zhiyan first went out of the bedroom to show Ning Yuxuan the living room.
The wooden floor is covered with a gray carpet, and the walls are covered with wallpaper with a subtle pattern, creating a strong retro feel.
In the middle of the living room sits a dark red leather sofa, next to a small wooden coffee table with a small potted plant and a table lamp on it.
Ning Yuxuan was initially just curious, but after watching for a while, she became quite engrossed.
She has recently been discussing with designers how to decorate a hotel with a retro theme, and the hotel where Xie Zhiyan stayed just happened to give her inspiration.
"Hey, Xie Zhiyan, turn to the side, let me see—is that a bookshelf?"
Xie Zhiyan: "..."
The camera then panned to the direction she indicated.
While carefully observing, Ning Yuxuan continued to instruct the man without any politeness: "Move the camera a little further to the left, yes, that's it..."
After looking around the living room, Ning Yuxuan wanted Xie Zhiyan to take her to the balcony.
"Let me see how their balconies are designed. I'd like to decorate Huayuan's balcony in a special way too."
Xie Zhiyan did not move.
Ning Yuxuan thought it was a bad signal and called his name: "Xie Zhiyan?"
The camera suddenly turned around, and a man's face appeared in the frame.
Ning Yuxuan was slightly taken aback.
"I have a meeting with a client in half an hour," Xie Zhiyan said calmly. "And..."
Xie Zhiyan's gaze shifted slightly downwards: "Didn't you say you were going to show me your dress?"
Ning Yuxuan then remembered the original purpose of the video call.
The main reason is that she has been busy with the renovation and design of Huayuan these days, so whenever she sees this hotel, her mind is filled with all kinds of design schemes.
Xie Zhiyan noticed her reluctance and said helplessly, "If you want to see the hotel's layout, I'll have Liu Cheng take some photos and videos of you from different angles and send them to you later."
Ning Yuxuan: "...Deal!"
Xie Zhiyan: "Can we get down to business now?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
It's just looking at a dress, but coming from this person, it sounds so indecent.
The camera was originally pointed at Ning Yuxuan's face.
Ning Yuxuan reached out and moved her phone further away.
“See?” Ning Yuxuan said, “It’s just a green dress.”
A green spaghetti strap maxi dress, the fabric at the chest is velvet, and it turns into silk fabric from the waist down.
The dress was exquisitely made, with a perfect fit and many details, but the video quality on the phone was limited, so Xie Zhiyan probably couldn't see these details clearly.
Thinking about this, Ning Yuxuan felt even more that her suggestion to let men see her skirt was a sign of her being bewitched.
Ning Yuxuan looked down.
The neckline of the dress is a bit low. It's fine if you wear it normally, but it looks a bit strange when you point a camera at that area.
Ning Yuxuan pulled the straps up a little.
The man chuckled softly in the earphone.
Ning Yuxuan glared at him through the screen: "What are you laughing at? The tank top is a little uncomfortable, let me adjust it."
Xie Zhiyan gave a meaningful "hmm": "I thought you were afraid of being seen by me."
Ning Yuxuan: "...Xie Zhiyan, if you say that again I'm going to hang up the video."
How come I never noticed before that this man had the potential to be a scoundrel?
Xie Zhiyan remained calm: "Didn't you ask me to look at the skirt?"
Ning Yuxuan blurted out, "I was talking about the skirt. What did you just say?"
Xie Zhiyan: "It's also a skirt."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
Nobody would believe him!
Ning Yuxuan asked irritably, "Have you finished reading it?"
Xie Zhiyan countered, "Are you in a hurry?"
Ning Yuxuan muttered, "I have to hold my phone up with my arm out the whole time, and my arm is getting sore."
Xie Zhiyan: "Then you don't need to hold it that far. It's enough that you can see me."
The man's voice was deep and pleasant, with a slight huskiness that tickled Ning Yuxuan's ears.
My arms were tired from holding them up.
Ning Yuxuan withdrew her arm and murmured, "As expected, you didn't want to see the dress at all; you just wanted to see me."
Xie Zhiyan casually praised, "You and the dress both look good, but you look even better."
Ning Yuxuan: "...eloquent and flattering."
"I've shown you everything you needed to see," Ning Yuxuan said. "Shouldn't you give me something in return?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Wasn't the room guide enough just now?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Not enough."
Xie Zhiyan asked, "What else do you want?"
Ning Yuxuan pursed her lips and looked at the man on the screen.
Perhaps because he had just met with a client, Xie Zhiyan was dressed in a neat white shirt and tie.
Ning Yuxuan didn't think her gaze was too explicit, and the video resolution wasn't very high either.
But Xie Zhiyan seemed to notice where her gaze was directed, and reached out to loosen his tie: "What are you thinking about?"
Ning Yuxuan swallowed silently.
The way he reached out to loosen his tie... well, it was kind of... ...
“Your tie, I mean…” Ning Yuxuan asked, “Aren’t you hot?”
Except for the cooler evenings, it's incredibly hot and humid most of the day in Jiangcheng. You'll sweat even if you just walk around outside in a sundress.
Xie Zhiyan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"
Ning Yuxuan suddenly realized that her words just now seemed to be hinting at something to him.
"It's nothing!" Ning Yuxuan's cheeks flushed slightly. "I was just curious and asked casually. You can just keep your clothes on, you don't need to take them off!"
After finishing his explanation, he realized that he was making things worse.
Xie Zhiyan chuckled and explained to her calmly, "The weather here isn't as hot as in Jiangcheng, so a shirt is just right—"
After a pause, the man added, "If that's what you're asking about."
Ning Yuxuan felt that his words seemed to have a hidden meaning.
“That’s exactly what I asked,” Ning Yuxuan said firmly. “You’re overthinking it.”
Xie Zhiyan: "Why would I overthink it?"
Ning Yuxuan bit her lip, refusing to continue playing games with him: "Didn't you say you were meeting a client later? Don't you need to prepare in advance?"
"Yes, I do," Xie Zhiyan said, "but I'd like to hear your voice a little longer and tell me what you did during the day."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She said softly, "What's so great about it? We've heard enough of that already."
Even so, Ning Yuxuan still told Xie Zhiyan about what happened on set.
As they talked, the conversation turned to Ning Shiyue.
“Ning Shiyue saw the floor plan that Assistant Wu sent me,” Ning Yuxuan said. “He was very surprised when he heard that we were going to buy a house.”
Xie Zhiyan: "Have you found one you like?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Two of them are pretty good. I'll tell you about them in person when you get back."
Buying a house might be simple for Xie Zhiyan, but since it's supposed to be a "wedding house," Ning Yuxuan wasn't willing to be too perfunctory.
"Okay," Xie Zhiyan replied, "Then wait for me to come back."
Ning Yuxuan then told Xie Zhiyan about the tourist attractions she and Ning Fei had visited that evening.
Just as there was a knock on Xie Zhiyan's room door, Liu Cheng reminded Xie Zhiyan that the time for his scheduled meeting with the client was approaching.
After Liu Cheng left the room, Ning Yuxuan said, "Then you can go and get back to work."
Xie Zhiyan's voice was deep and gentle: "Good night."
Ning Yuxuan subconsciously wanted to reply with "Goodnight," but then she remembered that it should be afternoon where they were.
Finally, she hummed in agreement, paused, and hung up the phone.
When they returned to the hotel room, Ning Fei was already asleep. A lamp was left on for her in the suite's living room.
Ning Yuxuan tiptoed to wash up, changed into her nightgown, and went into the bedroom.
Ning Fei, half-asleep, heard her daughter's movement and asked, "Xuanxuan?"
Ning Yuxuan knew that her mother suffered from neurasthenia and insomnia, and used to toss and turn in bed all night, unable to fall asleep.
It seems that my mother's symptoms have lessened a lot in recent days.
As I recall, in the original storyline, Ning Fei's insomnia became increasingly severe later on, to the point that she couldn't sleep for entire nights on end.
It was probably because he was worried about her and Ning Shiyue.
Ning Yuxuan remembered that she had checked her phone before taking a shower and Ning Shiyue had sent her a message.
He said he had a major scene tomorrow morning, and told her to remember to go to the set early so she wouldn't miss his brilliant performance.
If the original plot had unfolded as it should have, Ning Shiyue would currently be in another production crew, forced to play a flat, illogical supporting character, and then ridiculed for his acting in leaked videos.
Everything is moving in a positive direction.
Ning Yuxuan smiled and softly replied to Ning Fei, "Okay, Mom, you can continue sleeping. I'm going to bed too."
"Mmm," Ning Fei mumbled sleepily, "Goodnight, Xuanxuan."
Ning Yuxuan: "Goodnight, Mom."
The next morning, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei went to the film set again.
This was the last full day the two spent in Jiangcheng. They were to fly away on Friday morning to return to Beicheng to prepare for filming the program.
Hearing from the director that Ning Shiyue was going to film a scene this morning where he was betrayed by his best friend, Ning Yuxuan guessed that this was the key scene Ning Shiyue was talking about.
She and Ning Fei watched Ning Shiyue's performance together next to the monitor.
This scene has only a few lines of dialogue, and the last half is completely wordless, yet it offers a great deal of room for improvisation.
The emotions progressed in layers, from initial disbelief to extreme disappointment after acceptance, and then to suppressed grief and anger.
The director also provided many camera angles to capture Ning Shiyue's expressions from various perspectives.
After the first point, Ning Fei commented: "Xiao Yue has finally figured it out."
Acting skills can be explained in words, but they are more often understood intuitively.
Therefore, even though Ning Fei herself is a film queen, she cannot teach Ning Shiyue all her experience and skills.
Although Ning Shiyue's acting skills improved in each of his previous TV dramas, he always seemed to fall short of something.
Ning Shiyue's performance in the previous scene was so captivating that Ning Fei thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
Even Ning Yuxuan, a layman, could tell that Ning Shiyue's acting was quite good.
She joked with Ning Fei, "If this continues, will our family not only have one Best Actress, Mom, but also a Best Actor?"
Ning Fei smiled and said, "I can't say for sure, but judging from his performance in that one scene, he had the air of a movie star."
Ning Yuxuan suddenly said, "Oh, no, I forgot something."
Ning Fei: "What?"
Ning Yuxuan blinked and whispered in Ning Fei's ear, "I forgot that even without Ning Shiyue, our family might still have another movie star in the future."
Ning Fei was stunned for a moment, then slapped her daughter's arm: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Ning Yuxuan rubbed her arm with a smile: "There's a possibility that I might be hit, why did you hit me? It hurts!"
In fact, Ning Fei didn't use any force at all.
Ning Fei glared at her daughter: "You deserve to be in pain, for talking nonsense."
On Ning Shiyue's side, the director changed the camera angle again and asked him to do it again.
This scene is one of the most important emotional scenes in the entire series, laying the foundation for the male lead's character. Even though Ning Shiyue performed very well in the first take, the director still asked him to do an extra take.
When Ning Shiyue finished his performance, he came over and saw Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei playing around.
Ning Shiyue glared: "Did you guys even watch what I just did?"
He was very satisfied with his performance, and the director had just praised him.
However, while Director Zhang's affirmation was important, he also cared about Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan's opinions.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically told Ning Yuxuan to get up early and make sure she came to see this play.
Ning Yuxuan shook her head seriously: "No, I told Mom a joke. You've already finished acting?"
Ning Shiyue looked at Ning Yuxuan in disbelief.
He was so into his performance just now, how could the two of them miss it?
Seeing this, Ning Fei said helplessly, "Xuanxuan was just joking with you. We both watched the first take completely, and she acted very well."
Ning Yuxuan: "Yes, Mom also said that your acting in this scene has the potential to be an award-winning actor."
Ning Shiyue: "...Really?"
Ning Fei smiled and affirmed, "Yes, you acted very well."
Ning Yuxuan added from the side: "After this part airs, if anyone says your acting is bad, just have your fans make a GIF of this part and send it to them. That will definitely be a killer move."
Ning Shiyue coughed and looked away, "It's not that exaggerated, it's just okay."
He appeared unmoved, but in reality, he was barely able to suppress the urge to smile.
Today's scenes are all very important, and Ning Shiyue also has several scenes to film this afternoon.
Zhuang Yiming, on the other hand, who played the third male lead, didn't have a single scene all day today, except for one in the evening.
Finding an opportunity, Zhuang Yiming leaned close to Ning Yuxuan: "Sister Yuxuan, I drank a few extra bottles of wine yesterday, but I didn't say anything inappropriate to you, did I?"
Ning Yuxuan looked at Zhuang Yiming with amusement: "No matter how much you drink, it's just beer. With such a low alcohol tolerance, did you black out from drinking beer?"
Zhuang Yiming scratched his head: "No, it's just that I don't remember it very clearly..."
Last night, taking advantage of the fact that he didn't have any scenes to film the next day, he drank the most among everyone present.
When I woke up today, I remembered that I seemed to have said a lot of nonsense in the taxi on my way home yesterday, and I immediately started to regret it.
He wasn't sure if he had said anything that offended Ning Yuxuan.
“Sister Yuxuan,” Zhuang Yiming said, “If I said anything I shouldn’t have yesterday, please don’t mind, it was all nonsense.”
Ning Yuxuan's eyebrows twitched slightly: "For example, you complained to me that Cen Meng was annoying on set?"
Zhuang Yiming paused for a moment, then replied without hesitation, "That's not a lie."
He looked around, cleared his throat, and said in a low voice, "To be honest, Sister Yuxuan, many of us small actors have a problem with Cen Meng. Xiao Yao, who was with us for barbecue yesterday, was also bullied by Cen Meng in another group, but she has some connections, so no one dares to say anything."
In this circle, the fastest way to build relationships is not by having mutual friends, but by having mutual dislikes.
Not long after Zhuang Yiming met Xiao Yao, who played the supporting actress, they started talking about an actress he disliked who had recently gotten into trouble and disappeared from the public eye.
Later, the two compared their messages and confirmed that they were both referring to Cen Meng.
"Sister Yuxuan, speaking of this..." Zhuang Yiming asked curiously, "Do you know the inside story? Is Cen Meng's sugar daddy no longer with her?"
Ning Yuxuan: "I think so."
She hadn't paid special attention to it.
However, if Gu Yunhao were still with Cen Meng, Cen Meng probably wouldn't have reacted that way when Gu Yunhao was mentioned yesterday.
Zhuang Yiming breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I heard that the person behind her is not simple. Yesterday, she came to see you with a smile that hid a knife. I was worried about you, Sister Yuxuan."
"Let's not talk about that!" Zhuang Yiming coughed and lowered his voice. "Sister Yuxuan, I meant yesterday in the car, didn't I ask you about your boyfriend...?"
Ning Yuxuan raised her eyebrows.
Zhuang Yiming: "I just asked casually when I was drunk, I didn't mean anything by it, please don't take it to heart!"
Ning Yuxuan forced a smile and said, "It's okay, I don't mind."
Zhuang Yiming grinned: "Thank you, sis."
No sooner had they finished speaking than a figure appeared beside them.
Ning Shiyue looked at Zhuang Yiming with an unfriendly expression: "Who are you calling 'sister'?"
He never calls Ning Yuxuan "sister" at home, so how could anyone else call her that?
Zhuang Yiming chuckled awkwardly, "It's a form of address, a form of address!"
Ning Shiyue got down to business: "Director Zhang wants to see you. He says he needs to talk to you."
"Okay!" Zhuang Yiming replied immediately. "Then I'll head over now. See you later, Teacher Yuxuan!"
After Zhuang Yiming left, Ning Yuxuan looked at Ning Shiyue with amusement.
Ning Shiyue pouted: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ning Yuxuan: "You won't call me that yourself, but you won't let others call me that either?"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
Perhaps because he and Ning Yuxuan are only two years apart, he has never been used to calling Ning Yuxuan "older sister" since he was a child.
The two addressed each other by their first names.
But it was one thing for him not to call out, but when he heard others call out, Ning Shiyue felt a subtle unease.
"Zhuang Yiming is a year older than you," Ning Shiyue said, changing the subject. "He has the nerve to call you 'sister'."
Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow: "Doesn't he also call you Brother Shi Yue?"
Ning Shiyue: "...That's different!"
“There is clearly no difference.” Ning Yuxuan said logically, “Besides, according to your logic, Zhuang Yiming is older than me and can’t call me sister, but you are two years younger than me, so you can call me sister, right? But I don’t even know when was the last time I heard you call me that.”
Ning Shiyue: "It's just a title, is it really necessary..."
Recalling how he had just seriously corrected Zhuang Yiming's form of address, his voice sounded somewhat guilty.
Ning Yuxuan said calmly, "Since it's just a form of address, why don't you call me that? 'Sister' or 'older sister,' you can choose whichever you prefer, I won't pick and choose."
Ning Shiyue opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
There's nothing wrong with the way he addresses me, but it just feels incredibly awkward when he actually says it.
Another actor from the crew ran over: "Brother Shi Yue, the makeup artist wants to see you. He says he needs to adjust your makeup for your next scene."
Ning Shiyue felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."
Before leaving, he glanced at Ning Yuxuan and, trying to cover up his misunderstanding, said, "I have something to do, let's talk about it next time!"
Ning Yuxuan watched Ning Shiyue run off to the dressing room.
Is it really that difficult for this guy to call me "sister"?
In the evening, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei went for a stroll by the lake and took some photos.
This trip was mainly to visit Ning Shiyue on set; the two would only go to tourist attractions in the evening when the weather wasn't too hot.
After dinner, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei returned to the hotel.
Ning Shiyue couldn't finish work early tonight, so he told them not to wait for him and to go home first.
It was past nine o'clock at night when there was a knock on their door.
Ning Shiyue carried two bags and placed them on the coffee table in the room: "Special products from Jiangcheng."
He paused for a moment, then added, "It's not that I wanted to bring some, but one of the actors in the crew is a local from Jiangcheng, and he insisted that this is good and that I had to bring some for you."
Ning Yuxuan opened one of the bags and looked inside; it contained vacuum-packed braised products.
Ning Fei definitely wouldn't eat such high-sodium food, so it's obvious that it was bought for her.
The other bag contained coconut milk crisps, which Ningfei might try a little of.
Ning Shiyue looked at the two of them and said, "I've already booked a car. It will pick you up from downstairs at the hotel at 8:20 tomorrow morning... to take you to the airport."
As he spoke, Ning Shiyue glanced at Ning Yuxuan.
Ning Yuxuan had just lifted her head out of the bag when she looked back at him, puzzled.
It's just calling a car, why are you acting like you're stealing it?
Ning Yuxuan: "You used my money to call a luxury car?"
Ning Shiyue: "...No, do you really think I'm that stingy? I even have to use your money to call a taxi!"
Ning Yuxuan crossed her arms: "Pretty much."
Ning Shiyue: "..."
"Well, anyway—" Ning Shiyue said, "Just make sure you're all packed by 8:20 tomorrow morning. I asked the director for two hours off, and I'll take you to the airport with him."
Ning Yuxuan: "What time is the flight again? Is it 8:20? I remember it's a bit far from the airport here."
Ning Yuxuan didn't book the plane ticket; she didn't recall it.
Ning Shiyue: "No rush, no rush. Mom and I have already seen it, right, Mom?"
Ning Fei: "Mm."
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the two of them: "...Okay."
After chatting for a while, Ning Shiyue went back to his room.
Ning Fei also went to the bathroom to take a shower.
After Ning Fei came out of the bathroom, Ning Yuxuan took a shower and went to bed after her.
Before falling asleep, Ning Yuxuan picked up her phone and looked at it.
There were several work-related messages from Zhou Lin, and Tao You asking her how her trip to Jiangcheng was during dinner.
She had already reviewed all of these before taking a shower.
Apart from that, no new information was sent.
Ning Yuxuan hesitated for a moment before opening the chat window with Xie Zhiyan.
The two's chat history was still stuck on last night's video call.
Xie Zhiyan didn't contact her all day today.
Ning Yuxuan tapped the input box, hesitated for a few seconds, and then didn't send anything.
She silently swiped off WeChat.
Ning Fei's gentle voice came from behind: "Xuanxuan, we have to get up early tomorrow, go to sleep quickly, don't keep looking at your phone."
Ning Yuxuan: "...Mm."
She placed her phone on the bedside table.
This man.
I told her so sweetly the other day that I almost believed her.
As a result, on the third day, their true colors were revealed.
With these feelings in mind, Ning Yuxuan hugged the corner of the blanket and drifted off to sleep.
After being woken up by her alarm clock early the next morning, Ning Fei had already washed up and was packing her luggage.
After Ning Yuxuan brushed her teeth, washed her face, and changed her clothes, Ning Fei was already ready to go.
Ning Shiyue knocked on the door and winked at Ning Fei: "Mom, let's take the luggage down first."
Ning Fei agreed.
The two of them each took a suitcase and went downstairs.
Ning Yuxuan was still tying her hair in a ponytail, her arm dangling in mid-air.
Why are you in such a hurry?
It's only 8:07, there are still thirteen minutes left.
Ning Shiyue, in particular, not only didn't wait for her to come along, but also only brought that big suitcase.
Her bright yellow carry-on suitcase was still on the floor, all packed up, but he didn't bother to pick it up.
Ning Yuxuan silently complained about Ning Shiyue in her heart, and casually tied her hair into a loose low ponytail.
A notification sounded on my phone; Ning Shiyue had sent a message.
Ning Shiyue: [The driver is already downstairs. It's a black car with a license plate ending in four nines. Once you're ready, just take your suitcase downstairs.]
Ning Yuxuan replied with an "Oh".
She took the small bread that Ning Fei had left for her to eat for breakfast from the cabinet by the door and finished it in a few bites.
After confirming that nothing had been left in the room, Ning Yuxuan zipped up her carry-on suitcase, took her room key, and left.
Ning Yuxuan handed the room key to the front desk and walked out of the hotel.
The morning sunlight was a bit too bright, so Ning Yuxuan squinted and found the car with the last four nines on its license plate.
This car doesn't look cheap; could it be that Ning Shiyue really ordered a luxury car?
She pulled her suitcase over, but no one greeted her or opened the car door for her.
Ning Yuxuan felt puzzled, but this license plate number was quite rare, and since it matched, there shouldn't be any mistake.
She stepped forward and knocked on the car window: "Sir, could you please open the trunk again? There's another box."
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