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"Xuanxuan, are you willing?"
Ning Yuxuan arrived at the villa entrance and met Ning Shiyue's somewhat guilty gaze.
Being called out late at night, Ning Yuxuan's tone was not good: "Shall we go?"
Ning Shiyue looked at her, hesitant to speak.
Ning Yuxuan pulled her coat tighter and glanced at him casually: "What do you want to say now?"
Ning Shiyue: "You...are you wearing a nightgown?"
Before setting off, he and Ning Yuxuan packed their luggage together.
Although Ning Yuxuan was wearing a trench coat over her clothes, the fabric peeking out from the neckline revealed that it was one of the two nightgowns she had brought.
“Yes,” Ning Yuxuan replied matter-of-factly, “I was getting ready for bed, of course I’d wear a nightgown.”
Ning Shiyue pursed his lips: "Um... if we go to the convenience store, would you like to change into something else?"
Ning Yuxuan glanced at him dismissively: "What? You think I'm not dressed fashionably enough and that I'm embarrassing you, a big star?"
Ning Shiyue immediately raised his hands to prove his innocence: "No, I absolutely didn't mean that! I was..."
His gaze lingered on her bare calves for two seconds, moving from top to bottom, before he found a reason: "I was worried you'd be cold."
Ning Yuxuan said "Oh": "It's okay, I'm not cold."
Ning Shiyue: "..."
He hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and said with a look of grim determination, "Alright, let's go then."
Ning Yuxuan looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Which convenience store are we going to? Lead the way."
Ning Shiyue nodded: "Come with me."
Ning Yuxuan followed Ning Shiyue for two minutes and then felt something was off.
"Are you sure this is the way?" Ning Yuxuan asked. "Isn't this the direction to the beach?"
The villa arranged by the production team is not far from the sea; it's less than a ten-minute walk to the private beach.
Ning Shiyue cleared his throat: "I'm sure, that's right, we'll be there soon."
Ning Yuxuan: "...Okay."
Between the two, Ning Yuxuan is usually the one who has a worse memory for directions, so she chooses to trust Ning Shiyue for the time being.
After walking for another two minutes, the beach was almost in sight.
Ning Yuxuan could see lights flashing on the beach from afar, wondering who was hosting a nighttime party there.
Ning Shiyue didn't know when he had gone from leading the way in front of her to walking beside her.
Ning Yuxuan turned to Ning Shiyue: "Hey, are you sure—"
She couldn't finish her sentence: Ning Shiyue is over 1.8 meters tall, how could he suddenly disappear?
Before Ning Yuxuan could figure out what had happened, a familiar, magnetic voice suddenly rang in her ears.
"Xuanxuan".
Ning Yuxuan was stunned.
The man's deep voice chuckled, "It's me."
Ning Yuxuan paused for a few seconds: "Thank you..."
Before she could even finish calling out his name, everything went dark, and she was lightly kissed on the corner of her mouth.
Ning Yuxuan's heart skipped a beat.
"Close your eyes first?" the man said calmly. "I have a little surprise for you."
Ning Yuxuan blinked her eyelashes, and two seconds later, she closed her eyes as instructed.
"What surprise?" she asked. "If Ning Shiyue tricked me out so late at night and doesn't satisfy me, I'll be angry."
Ning Yuxuan has gradually gotten used to Xie Zhiyan's kindness to her, so she didn't ask him how he got here, whether he was tired, or if he had missed work.
She just wanted to enjoy this beautiful moment.
Xie Zhiyan gave an irrelevant answer: "We'll be there soon."
Ning Yuxuan raised the corners of her lips: "Okay."
It seems like this is still a surprise that needs to be kept in suspense.
Xie Zhiyan took Ning Yuxuan's hand and led her forward.
To fully experience the surprise, Ning Yuxuan kept her eyes closed the whole time.
Walking with your eyes closed is a very unsafe thing. Ning Yuxuan remembers that when she was in school, her teacher organized them to play a similar game, holding their partner's hand to reach the finish line.
Although she knew there was no danger, she still found it difficult to fully relax and take a step forward, always feeling anxious.
However, at this moment, holding hands with the man, Ning Yuxuan felt a sense of security she had never experienced before.
After walking for about another minute, the man finally said in a deep voice, "Alright."
Ning Yuxuan: "Can I open my eyes now?"
Her response was a sudden kiss.
Perhaps because they were outside, Xie Zhiyan's kiss wasn't as forceful as it had been the previous times.
He was like an extremely patient predator, slowly and gently savoring every part of her lips.
With the sound of waves in her ears, Ning Yuxuan was soon dazed by the kisses, the heat spreading from where he was kissing her all the way to the tips of her ears.
A strange thought popped into her mind: Luckily, she had just removed her lip makeup before leaving the house, otherwise, if he were to nibble at her lip gloss inch by inch like this, wouldn't he have eaten all of her lip gloss?
The kiss didn't last long.
Just as Ning Yuxuan was about to lose her balance and her hands unconsciously wrapped around the man's neck, the man pulled away from her lips.
Ning Yuxuan slowly opened her eyes, and in her line of sight was Xie Zhiyan's magnified handsome features.
Her head was still a little dizzy, and she blurted out without thinking, "Was this kiss... also part of the surprise?"
Xie Zhiyan chuckled softly.
"No." His voice was gentle yet strangely alluring. "It was because I couldn't control myself."
Ning Yuxuan's breathing became slightly sluggish.
She stood there for several seconds before she remembered to observe her surroundings.
This area is a private beach, and it is generally only accessible to guests of nearby hotels or guesthouses.
It was nearly 10 p.m., and there was no one around.
Only now did Ning Yuxuan realize what the light she had just seen actually was.
It wasn't that someone was having a party; rather, star-shaped champagne-colored lights were hanging from a wooden frame not far away, with strips of light cascading down.
It turned out that she had already spotted the blurry outline of the "surprise" from a distance.
Looking down, she saw star-shaped lights on the ground, stretching forward from her feet, like a road paved with stars.
Warm yellow colored lights are scattered on both sides of the "road", like a starry sky scattered on the beach.
Upon seeing all this, Ning Yuxuan's eyes widened slightly, and then she involuntarily walked forward along the path beneath her feet.
As she stood directly beneath the wooden frame, even more stars surrounded her.
The stars not only fell on the beach, but also into her eyes, sparkling brightly.
After a moment, Ning Yuxuan concealed the surprise in her eyes and looked at the man beside her: "You've improved."
Xie Zhiyan gently raised his eyebrows.
Ning Yuxuan said seriously, "It's not as tacky as the flowers in the trunk last time."
Xie Zhiyan's lips curled slightly as he slowly said, "You seemed to really like that tacky time last time too."
Ning Yuxuan deliberately glared at him, then couldn't help but laugh at herself.
"I admit it." She smiled slightly. "I'm just a materialistic person. I like receiving flowers and I like these kinds of surprises. So what? You don't like it?"
Xie Zhiyan's eyes softened: "Then I'll stay with you and remain ordinary forever, okay?"
Ning Yuxuan hadn't yet grasped the meaning behind the man's words.
She blinked: "Do you have any other options?"
Xie Zhiyan gazed intently at her.
The light shone in his eyes, and something seemed to flow within the man's deep gaze.
Before Ning Yuxuan could react, her hand was grabbed by the man.
Ning Yuxuan felt a slight coolness on her fingertips and subconsciously looked down.
He slipped a diamond ring onto her ring finger, then slowly pushed it down to the base of her finger.
Ning Yuxuan stared blankly at her ring finger, now adorned with a new ring, and it took her several seconds to realize its meaning.
"Xie Zhiyan, you..."
The man spoke first, "Xuanxuan, are you willing?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She never imagined that she would be proposed to by Xie Zhiyan.
Ning Yuxuan assumed that the two of them had already registered their marriage, so this step was naturally unnecessary.
So when she heard Xie Zhiyan's question, her first reaction was to be a little confused, followed by self-doubt: Could she have misunderstood?
Ning Yuxuan exhaled and looked up at Xie Zhiyan to confirm: "Willing to what?"
Xie Zhiyan raised his eyebrows slightly, then smiled somewhat helplessly.
After a moment, the man's smile faded, and he asked solemnly, "Xuanxuan, are you willing to marry me and live with me?"
He paused for a second, then added, "There is no deadline."
Ning Yuxuan met the man's gaze, and belatedly realized that her heart was racing.
Now that things have come to this, of course she wouldn't refuse.
But I don't want to agree to his request so easily.
Ning Yuxuan pursed her lips, feigning modesty as she raised her hand to admire the ring on her ring finger: "I need to think about it."
Xie Zhiyan: "How long do you want to think about it? Thirty seconds, or a minute?"
Ning Yuxuan laughed out loud: "How can you ask such a question?"
Xie Zhiyan's voice was deep: "Because I can't wait for an answer anymore."
As he spoke, he leaned closer.
Ning Yuxuan just turned her head to the side, and the man's lips landed on her cheek.
She laughed and pushed his chest: "I haven't agreed yet."
As they were speaking, several white lights suddenly flashed before their eyes.
Ning Yuxuan squinted reflexively, then looked for the source of the flash.
A figure emerged from the darkness—
Ning Shiyue raised his camera towards the two of them and grinned foolishly.
"Um..." Ning Shiyue scratched his head, "Sorry, did I appear a little too early?"
...
The flight back to Beicheng is scheduled for the afternoon, while the live broadcast of the program will begin in the morning.
The next morning, Ning Yuxuan stretched as she came out of the bathroom to wash up, only to bump into Ning Shiyue, who was lingering at the door.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at him, then walked past him expressionlessly.
Ning Shiyue was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.
"Um, Ning Yuxuan..." Ning Shiyue said awkwardly, "Don't go!"
Ning Yuxuan glanced at Ning Shiyue silently, then continued to walk around him back to her bedroom.
Ning Shiyue steeled his resolve, took two quick steps to block the doorway, and put on a heroic, martyr-like expression: "I apologize for what happened yesterday! I didn't time it right and showed up too early."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
Ning Shiyue: "However! I didn't come away empty-handed, right...? Look, I took so many photos of you guys. It would be such a shame if such an important moment wasn't captured!"
As he spoke, he waved the several sheets of photographic paper in his hand.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the photo in his hand.
Seeing that her attitude had softened slightly, Ning Shiyue immediately seized the opportunity: "I went to the shop early this morning to have someone print them out. Why don't you take a look at the photos first? If you really don't like them, you can get angry with me after you see the photos, okay?"
To be honest, Ning Shiyue had never been so obsequious in his life.
But there was nothing he could do; his mistake this time stemmed from his own sister's marriage proposal.
Although, to be honest, he really didn't do it on purpose.
At that time, Ning Shiyue had been hiding behind a parasol on the beach, keeping a distance so as not to disturb the two. In the darkness, it was not easy to see their movements clearly.
They could only vaguely see the two people walk under the set-up lights and then talk for a while.
Then, Xie Zhiyan seemed to put the ring on Ning Yuxuan's hand.
Ning Shiyue estimated that this was about the right moment, so he quickly jogged over and pressed the shutter.
That's how it's portrayed in TV dramas and short videos, isn't it?
After being proposed to, the girl covered her mouth in surprise and tears, and then a ring was put on her finger.
The two then embraced, and their friends cheered and congratulated them, marking a successful proposal.
Why is it different when it comes to Ning Yuxuan...?
Ning Shiyue knew he was in the wrong, and even his breathing became cautious as he pushed the photo in his hand forward again: "Take a look?"
Ning Yuxuan finally reached out and took the photo.
Ning Shiyue felt as if he had been granted a pardon and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Ning Yuxuan took the photo and sat down on the bed in the bedroom. Ning Shiyue was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed her in.
After entering, Ning Shiyue observed Ning Yuxuan's expression. Seeing that Ning Yuxuan did not intend to kick him out, Ning Shiyue quietly sat down next to Ning Yuxuan.
Then, under Ning Yuxuan's silent gaze, Ning Shiyue quietly moved to the side.
Ning Yuxuan flipped through the photos in her hand.
The photos are actually quite good.
Putting composition aside for now, the main thing is to create a strong sense of story.
Ning Yuxuan loved taking photos when she was in school. She has many sets of artistic photos at home, which are displayed in her own and Ning Fei's bedrooms.
There are countless photos of him taking pictures while he was out having fun, as well as group photos with friends.
Therefore, she has many posed and beautiful photos.
Many of the photos Ning Shiyue took this time were candid shots. The first one is of Xie Zhiyan kissing her cheek, and her smiling as she tries to push the man away.
The second photo shows her being blinded by the flash and instinctively reaching out to shield herself, while the man puts his arm around her waist to steady her.
Then, she and Xie Zhiyan both looked at the camera, searching for the culprit.
Each one I take out immediately brings back memories of what happened back then.
In some ways, it is very memorable.
The rest are some photos of two people looking at the camera being taken.
Ning Yuxuan was startled by Ning Shiyue's sudden appearance, but since she was already there, and the scene was so beautiful, she let Ning Shiyue take some more photos of her and Xie Zhiyan.
Ning Yuxuan examined the group photos.
The fairy lights backdrop was very photogenic, the two were holding hands, and the atmosphere was great, but the problem was...
Ning Yuxuan frowned as she looked at her outfit in the photo.
Ning Shiyue, still oblivious, asked, "How was it? Did it turn out alright? Even the owner of the photo lab praised it, saying—"
The second half of the sentence disappeared in Ning Yuxuan's sharp eyes.
Ning Shiyue: "...W-what's wrong?"
Ning Yuxuan rolled her eyes at Ning Shiyue.
“I’m asking you,” Ning Yuxuan began, “since you knew I was going to be proposed to when I went downstairs, why did you still make me go in my nightgown?”
Ning Shiyue felt wronged, but was afraid of making Ning Yuxuan even angrier, so he could only carefully defend himself: "Um...didn't I remind you to change into something else? But you didn't want to."
Ning Yuxuan: "That's because your excuse is too lame. Who would dress up to go to a convenience store late at night?"
“That makes sense, but…” Ning Shiyue scratched his head, “I just can’t find any better reasons.”
Ning Yuxuan: "I can just say that the production team added a segment at the last minute, and asked us to go down to take pictures, or that fans came to ask me for a photo, wouldn't that be fine?"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
It seems that each of them is indeed better than his current one.
He said sheepishly, "I didn't expect that. Um, I'll definitely do it next time..."
Halfway through his speech, Ning Shiyue realized something was wrong.
There's no chance of a marriage proposal happening again.
Ning Shiyue resigned himself to his fate: "I was wrong. Whether you punish me or not is up to you."
Ning Yuxuan looked at Ning Shiyue.
Ning Shiyue looked back at her cautiously.
After a while, Ning Yuxuan spoke up: "On the way back today, you will be responsible for carrying all the luggage."
Ning Shiyue's eyes lit up.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at him: "I haven't finished speaking yet."
"When I move next month, you'll have to be my hard laborer willingly and without complaint."
"For the next three months, dinner at home must consist entirely of my favorite dishes, and you cannot complain."
...
Ning Yuxuan spoke as she thought, and Ning Shiyue listened to her points one by one.
Finally, Ning Yuxuan said, "Also, think carefully about your wedding speech when I get to my wedding. If you mess it up again, I won't be so easy to talk to."
.
The live broadcast of the final day's program began at 10:00 AM.
After getting rid of Ning Shiyue, Ning Yuxuan changed out of her pajamas and prepared to put on some light makeup.
She was about to apply her foundation in front of the mirror when her hand holding the powder suddenly stopped.
Below her collarbone, on her chest, was a striking pink hickey.
This program's itinerary is considered a trip, and Ning Yuxuan brought mostly vacation-style dresses and clothes.
And since it was summer, the necklines of all the clothes were not high.
Ning Yuxuan quickly recalled the only two sets of clean clothes she had left, and compared them to the location of the red mark on her chest, arriving at a sad conclusion—
No matter what you wear, it will never be able to cover it up.
As for scarves, forget about it. Even if she did bring one, wearing a scarf in this hot weather would just be an attempt to cover up the fact that she didn't bring one.
Ning Yuxuan unconsciously rubbed the red mark repeatedly with her fingers, as if she could fade it a little.
My mind started unconsciously replaying how that mark was left—
After Ning Shiyue appeared, he took a few photos of them, and then, probably realizing he wasn't welcome, he slunk back to the villa.
Only Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan remained on the beach.
At first, Ning Yuxuan was complaining to the man about how she had chosen such an unreliable wingman as Ning Shiyue.
Then I admired the diamond ring on her ring finger for a while.
The ring Xie Zhiyan used to propose was not the one she had chosen herself before.
But it is clear that Xie Zhiyan took her aesthetic at the time into account. The design of this new diamond ring is similar to that of the previous one, and the size fits her ring finger perfectly.
Later, somehow, on a deserted beach, the two embraced again.
In the end, all Ning Yuxuan could hear was the sound of the waves and the intertwined breathing of the two of them.
Under the intense heat of the moment, they did everything they could.
Unable to do it, the man finally stopped his actions only after relying on all his self-control, despite Ning Yuxuan's weak and feeble resistance.
Recalling the scene, Ning Yuxuan's earlobes still felt slightly hot.
Although at that point in time, most people probably wouldn't be going to that private beach anymore.
But his actions were a bit too much...
That mark on my chest must have been left from that time.
She pulled out concealer from her makeup bag.
Ning Yuxuan has great skin and hasn't had any breakouts lately. She hasn't even been able to use concealer when she's putting on makeup these past few days.
This time it finally came in handy.
Ning Yuxuan dabbed concealer with her fingertip and smeared it around the red mark a few times.
I then used the powder compact to pat the area around me to even out my skin tone.
After some maneuvering, they managed to cover about 80% of it.
However, under the high-definition close-up shots of the program crew, the possibility of it being noticed cannot be ruled out.
Ning Yuxuan frowned, her eyes scanning everything on the table before finally settling on the ring box in the corner.
...
At 10:00 AM, the live stream finally started.
This was also the last live broadcast of "Dear Mom," taking place before the guests headed to the airport to return to Beicheng.
Countless viewers tuned in to the live stream immediately, and amidst great anticipation, all the guests reappeared on screen.
After the director's emotional speech, the final farewell video was played in the live broadcast room.
The editor combined all the highlights from the pilot episode and all six episodes into one.
Seeing these clips, viewers realized that everyone had changed so much without them noticing.
From the beginning, the two groups of mothers and daughters were not familiar with each other, and even greetings were awkward.
Later, Ning Fei and Qin Man naturally hugged each other after meeting, and Ning Yuxuan and Jiang Ning'an took photos wearing matching pajamas.
The relationship between each mother and daughter was noticeably closer than at the beginning of the show.
Ning Yuxuan would naturally lean against Ning Fei's arms and act coquettishly, and Qin Man no longer hesitated to acknowledge and praise her daughter.
Ning Shiyue also changed a lot, from being awkward with his family at the beginning to obediently being directed by Ning Yuxuan to move luggage in the last episode.
After the short film ended, the photographer showed each guest their reaction shot in turn.
When the camera panned to Ning Yuxuan, the audience didn't have time to carefully observe the expression on her face.
Everyone's attention was drawn to something else.
Ning Yuxuan placed her hand on her chest, and on her ring finger, a diamond ring the size of a pigeon egg sparkled.
[Author's Note]
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow will be the last chapter of the main story. The rest, like our daily life living together, will be covered in the epilogue.
100 red envelopes will be given away in the comments section!
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Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:40:00 on July 29, 2024 and 23:50:00 on July 30, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Songyue 25 bottles; soledad, soft girl Ayu, and lock the wife in the dark room to write 20 bottles; Cangcang's 18 bottles; Frog loves vegetables 17 bottles; dcd 15 bottles; Daitao's waste shrimp, pretend to be calm°, hee hee, sheep sheep, Cr. Beibei, chalk, and inkman 10 bottles; Soft fairy daddy 9 bottles; 53388118 8 bottles; Tanya 6 bottles; Wakakaka, Zhiyun'er, Xiao Guo, Yaoguang, 42621288, jccai, Qiqi, how to relieve worries, and Aye 5 bottles; Mo Shangyun 4 bottles; kkkkkkkkkk 3 bottles; one two three four five, 63724851, and "just right without sugar" 2 bottles; Shi An, Fu Suo Yi, Yue Xia Sang, Miao Miao YU, Yao Sha Ni Yo~, Zhan Zhan's Guardian Angel, Jin Shu, Jing Si Yi Shan, Chao Yu and Zi Xi, E_July, A Tao Doesn't Like Eating Peach, Face Blushed, Cheese Bread, Na Tiao Xiao Xiao Yu, Jing, What, 65513579, Ha Ji Mei Mei Gu, Xia Yu, Jing Jing Er, yula, 72675928, Qiao Che, You Zi, Da Xuan Wan Zi, Dialectical Denial, Ji Ji iii, Mi Zhao, Er Lang Shi Zi, Lu Ling, Xiang Jun, Yi Yan Da Ren, Xin, Arostinaaaa, pudding Bao Zi, Da Zhi Xian Xian, Xiao Chong, Shou Ke Zhai Xing Chen, Chong Zi 1823 1 bottle;
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