9 009
◎Who is that man?◎
Ning Yuxuan was caught off guard by Xie Zhiyan's suggestion and paused for a moment without answering him.
The car stopped right in front of the villa area, and a security guard in uniform walked over.
The villa area is strictly managed; unregistered vehicles must be registered before they can enter.
The residents in the villa area are all well-off, and even though the security guards saw Xie Zhiyan's luxury car, they still followed the rules.
The registration form required several items of information, and the driver filled them out one by one with a pen.
Ning Yuxuan looked at the man beside her: "How about we get out of the car and walk over?"
She thought about it and realized that Xie Zhiyan's words made sense.
However, before seeing his mother, he had to go over his story first.
Xie Zhiyan: "Okay."
The two got out of the car one after the other. Ning Yuxuan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "President Xie..."
Xie Zhiyan walked beside her, casually pointing out the flaw: "Are you planning to call me that in front of your mother later too?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
"I'll fix it when I get home," she said, refusing to admit it was her mistake.
Clearing her throat, Ning Yuxuan spoke again: "Xie Zhiyan, I think today, let's meet my mom as friends. We're not that close, it would be a bit fake to start acting like a couple right away."
Xie Zhiyan glanced at her, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
If it were the people from the previous birthday banquet who saw Xie Zhiyan's reaction, they would probably immediately start to reflect on what they had said wrong.
However, when Ning Yuxuan met Xie Zhiyan, he was still a student, and she was largely immune to his aura of authority.
Ning Yuxuan continued without changing her expression: "Besides, I only broke up with my boyfriend a few days ago. It's hard for my mom to believe that I've already found a new boyfriend so quickly. What do you think?"
Xie Zhiyan said calmly, "I have no objection."
Ning Yuxuan clapped her hands: "Then it's settled."
There was still some distance to the villa, and she and Xie Zhiyan walked side by side.
As evening approached, their shadows stretched long, sometimes near, sometimes far.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the man walking beside her and suddenly felt curious.
"Aren't you nervous at all?" she asked.
Xie Zhiyan glanced at her: "What's there to be nervous about?"
Ning Yuxuan was speechless for a moment.
That's true. Xie Zhiyan has seen all sorts of situations; why would he be afraid of meeting the parents?
She never saw any panic in this man, no matter if the world ended one day.
“…It’s pointless,” she murmured.
A faint laugh seemed to reach my ears.
Ning Yuxuan turned her head to look, but couldn't find any clues on the man's face.
Finally arriving at the villa's entrance, Ning Yuxuan unlocked the door with her fingerprint.
Ning Fei came out of the living room after hearing the noise and saw Xie Zhiyan and her daughter standing side by side.
"Zhiyan?" Ning Fei was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Xie Zhiyan as if to confirm, "Why...did you come with Xuanxuan?"
Ning Fei hadn't seen her friend's son for two years.
The last time she met Zheng Xinmei, Zheng Xinmei complained to her that her son was too busy with work and only had time to visit her once a month.
However, while it's called complaining, there's also a bit of showing off involved.
Among his peers, Xie Zhiyan was almost the only one in a high position, and his busy schedule was naturally different from that of ordinary second-generation rich kids.
Even so, Xie Zhiyan still returned to the old house at least once a month, and each time he would bring a gift for Zheng Xinmei.
Xie Zhiyan handed the fruit in his hand to Ning Fei: "Yu Xuan and I happened to run into each other today. We thought it had been a long time since we had visited you, so we came over on our way."
There's a small supermarket in the villa area; the fruit was what the two of them bought together.
Ning Fei smiled and accepted the fruit: "Zhiyan, you're too kind. I'll take the fruit inside first. Yuxuan, get Zhiyan a pair of slippers."
She turned and went to the kitchen, her surprise still lingering as she recalled Xie Zhiyan's words.
Since it was a chance encounter, it must have happened at a birthday banquet.
My daughter and Xie Zhiyan haven't been in contact for many years, and I'm only familiar with Zheng Xinmei, not with the rest of the Xie family.
Why would someone as busy as Xie Zhiyan make a special trip back to see me with his daughter?
Ning Fei felt a little uneasy.
After setting the fruit aside, Ning Fei turned back and asked her daughter, "Xuanxuan, haven't you and Zhiyan had dinner yet? I haven't cooked yet, so I can add another pair of chopsticks."
Normally, there is a housekeeper to cook at home, but recently, because she is going to be on a TV show, Ning Fei wanted to practice her cooking skills more, so she cooked for herself.
Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly, "No need to trouble yourself. I have a dinner engagement tonight, so I won't bother you any longer. I came here this time thanks to Yu Xuan's introduction..."
In just a few words, the "cause and effect" of investing in the hotel were explained clearly.
This includes why they chose Huayuan, a hotel under Ningfei's name, instead of investing in other larger hotels.
Ning Yuxuan, who knew the real reason, stood beside him but couldn't detect anything suspicious. She had to admire Xie Zhiyan's composure and ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
Ning Fei naturally didn't notice the flaw either. After a moment of stunned silence, she was both surprised and delighted.
Since opening the hotel, Ning Fei has considered raising funds, but at her age, she doesn't want to take too many risks, nor does she have enough time and energy to keep up with the ventures.
I never expected that my daughter, who just said a few days ago that she wanted to help her manage the hotel, would find an investor like Xie Zhiyan today.
The unexpected good news left Ning Fei somewhat speechless: "Then—"
Ning Yuxuan interrupted, "Mom, leave the specifics to me. Consider it a learning experience for me. If I encounter any problems, I'll come to you for advice."
Ning Fei: "...Okay."
She was a little worried, but in front of outsiders, she agreed to her daughter's request first.
Everything went so smoothly that Ning Yuxuan even suspected that Xie Zhiyan had planned it all along.
After thinking for a moment, Ning Yuxuan said to Xie Zhiyan, "Since you're busy later, let me see you out."
Xie Zhiyan and Ning Fei exchanged a few more polite words, and then Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan went out together.
As soon as she stepped down the stairs from the villa entrance, Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but ask, "Xie Zhiyan, you haven't already figured out how to tell my mom, have you?"
Xie Zhiyan remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Ning Yuxuan: "Why didn't you tell me sooner? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have had to worry for so long about how to explain it to my mom and make her believe that you decided to invest because you thought highly of Huayuan."
Xie Zhiyan replied calmly, "You didn't ask me either."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
Xie Zhiyan's driver had already driven the car to the villa's entrance.
Ning Yuxuan, having just been rebuffed by Xie Zhiyan, deliberately spoke sarcastically: "Mr. Xie, don't you have a business dinner tonight? Then I won't take up any more of your time, you're busy."
Xie Zhiyan chuckled softly.
This time, Ning Yuxuan saw it for real; the corners of the man's lips did indeed turn up for a second.
Before getting into the car, Xie Zhiyan said to her, "See you next Tuesday."
Ning Yuxuan paused for a moment, then remembered—
They had agreed beforehand to get their marriage certificate next Tuesday.
The bronze Bentley slowly started and passed another black car.
The black car stopped, and Ning Shiyue came out.
He kept glancing back at the Bentley that had just driven away until it disappeared around the corner.
Ning Shiyue stepped forward: "Who was that man at the door just now? Was he looking for you?"
It shouldn't be Gu Yunhao. His temperament doesn't match, and Gu Yunhao usually drives a Panamera.
Ning Yuxuan stared at Ning Shiyue for two seconds, then suddenly smiled with her eyes crinkling: "Why ask so many questions? I'm not telling you!"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
Ning Yuxuan smiled and turned to open the door, ignoring him.
Seeing that Ning Shiyue had also returned, Ning Fei smiled and said, "Dinner will be in an hour. I'll make you steamed sea bass this time."
Ning Shiyue bent down to change into her slippers: "Thank you, Mom."
Ning Yuxuan interjected, "You should thank me; it was I who gave up my braised fish."
Ning Shiyue rolled his eyes.
The two of them helped Ning Fei prepare dinner and served it to her.
Ning Shiyue mentioned his plans for the next few days: "I'm going to Xingcheng tomorrow and will probably stay for two or three days."
Actors' jobs require them to travel a lot, so Ning Fei wasn't surprised: "Going to record a show?"
Ning Shiyue hummed in agreement, then added seemingly casually, "There's also an audition."
He glanced at Ning Yuxuan as he spoke.
He didn't say anything, but Ning Yuxuan immediately understood: "The drama I mentioned to you before?"
Ning Shiyue lowered his head and picked up a piece of fish: "Well, they said there's a role that's suitable for me, and the director happens to be over there."
Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad."
Ning Fei looked at the siblings in surprise: "Xuanxuan, is it you who wanted Xiaoyue to audition?"
As far as she knew, Ning Yuxuan never cared about Ning Shiyue's work, and the two siblings had almost no communication about it.
Ning Yuxuan laughed and said, "Yes, I said there's a drama based on a novel that I really like, and I want him to act in it."
Ning Shiyue quickly followed up with an explanation: "It wasn't because she liked me that she went; it just so happened that there was a suitable role available, it was just a coincidence."
Ning Yuxuan raised her eyebrows but did not refute him.
"Good, good." Ning Fei watched the interaction between the two and smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Whether it was a coincidence or not, the result is good."
After dinner, Ning Shiyue went back to her apartment to pack her luggage for tomorrow.
Ning Yuxuan ran to the study.
Half an hour later, Ning Fei brought a plate of fruit and opened the study door, only to find her daughter resting her chin on her hand, staring at the computer screen.
Ning Fei placed the fruit on the table: "What are you busy with?"
Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "I'm looking at the hotel documents you sent me before. When we open a new store, I can't be completely clueless and know nothing about anything."
Seeing her daughter's energetic demeanor, Ning Fei felt extremely gratified.
My daughter hasn't been able to settle down and do anything for a long time since she graduated from university.
This time, it seemed that her daughter had made up her mind, and Ning Fei decided that no matter what, she would wholeheartedly support her daughter.
“Okay,” Ning Fei said. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask Mom. If that doesn’t work, I’ll ask the other people on the management team for you.”
For the next few days, Ning Yuxuan was busy with hotel matters.
First, they met with the person in charge of selling the hotel again, and this time they officially signed the transfer contract.
When the person in charge heard that she had actually decided to buy the hotel, he couldn't hide his shock.
For the rest of the time, Ning Yuxuan was thinking about plans for the renovation and reopening of the new store.
The reason those four hotels were transferred was simply due to insufficient funds and unsatisfactory profits.
Ning Yuxuan went to check them all out. The decoration and infrastructure of several stores were quite old, and two of them didn't even have smart TVs.
In addition, Tongxing District is not as prosperous as the six urban districts, and the supply exceeds the demand, so customers will naturally not choose shops with outdated facilities.
A month later, Beicheng will announce the resort project and related favorable policies, which can solve some of the problems, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Ning Yuxuan plans to renovate two of the hotels closest to the resort area, upgrade their smart equipment, and open them as soon as possible to recoup funds.
Although Xie Zhiyan promised to cover her losses, all the stores couldn't continue to lose money.
Ning Yuxuan plans to make major renovations to the remaining two shops, which are located far from the resort area, and transform them into unique themed hotels to attract locals and tourists.
The hotel's theme, Ningyuxuan, has some initial ideas, but the specific feasibility and design still need to be studied, and there's no rush.
On Friday evening, the official Weibo account of "Dear Mom" released a trailer.
@DearMomSeason2: Tomorrow at 10 AM, "DearMom Season 2: Mother-Daughter Special" will officially premiere! Set your alarms now and look forward to meeting moms and daughters tomorrow! @NingFei @NingYuXuan @QinMan @JiangNingAn @QiaoYaZhen @CenMeng
With the foundation laid by the first season and the national popularity of the two award-winning actresses, coupled with previous trending topics, the official Weibo account of the show already has hundreds of thousands of followers even before the full episodes of the new season have aired.
Besides the fans of the guests who rushed to the comments section, there were also many netizens and passersby who were attracted to the area.
[The full episode is finally here! Looking forward to seeing these two award-winning actresses together; I don't recall them ever appearing on a variety show together before, right?]
[I also want to see two award-winning actresses on stage together! Today's netizens are young and probably don't know how popular they were back then! They were goddesses to countless people!]
[Passersby expressed their fondness for Jiang Ning'an's performance in "The Story of Cai Xin," and it turns out her mother is a film queen!]
[I really want to see Ning Fei and her daughter Ning Yuxuan, haha. I was immediately drawn in by the trailer, and I feel like this mother and daughter pair will be very interesting.]
The comments section, sorted chronologically, barely shows any discussion about Cen Meng and her mother, Qiao Yazhen.
In a private room of a high-end restaurant in Beicheng, Cen Meng stared at her phone, biting her lower lip tightly.
It's okay, she told herself.
Those two so-called Best Actress winners are just living off their past glories; in terms of fan support, they probably aren't even as strong as her.
As for Ning Yuxuan, she has the advantage of having a good mother, and in everything else, she can't compare to her.
"Mengmeng, why aren't you eating?" Gu Yunhao's voice pulled Cen Meng back to reality.
Cen Meng blinked and smiled, "Yun Hao, I suddenly thought of something and wanted to ask you about it, is that alright?"
Her eyes and tone were pitiful, and Gu Yunhao replied without hesitation, "Of course, Mengmeng, what do you want to ask?"
Cen Meng lowered her eyes: "I want to know, does Ning Yuxuan's family... have any connection with the Xie family?"
Gu Yunhao was taken aback.
This was certainly not a question that Cen Meng "suddenly thought of." In fact, she had been thinking about it repeatedly for the past few days.
She just didn't find a suitable opportunity to ask on the day of the birthday banquet. If she sent a special message to ask later, it would seem like she cared too much about Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan.
I finally had a chance to ask Gu Yunhao today.
Cen Meng's eyelashes trembled slightly: "I just saw some news about the Xie family and then saw the guest list for the show, which suddenly reminded me of what happened at the birthday banquet that day. Yun Hao, if you don't want to talk to me about it, then... then just pretend I didn't ask."
Gu Yunhao's heart softened: "How could I not want to tell you about them..."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Gu Yunhao replied, "The Ning family and the Xie family have no relation. Ning Yuxuan has probably only met Xie Zhiyan twice."
Gu Yunhao has been thinking about this issue for the past few days.
He also asked several friends and his mother, and the answer was that he had never heard of Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan having any old relationship.
Gu Yunhao didn't want to ruin his tall and reliable image in front of Cen Meng, so he answered with a very confident tone.
Seeing this, Cen Meng was completely relieved.
Since Gu Yunhao has said so, she no longer needs to hesitate or be afraid of Ning Yuxuan.
This time, she learned from her mistake and had already contacted marketing accounts and online troll companies in advance.
When the show airs, I'm sure I can make a great comeback and reap both praise and viewership.
She will repay Ning Yuxuan for the humiliation she suffered at the birthday banquet tenfold!
Amidst the melodious piano music in the restaurant, Cen Meng smiled and raised her champagne glass: "Yun Hao, let's have a drink."
...
On Saturday morning, viewers were already waiting in the live broadcast room.
The first episode of "Dear Mom" has finally premiered.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
