Chapter 23

In the restaurant, the meal had already been served.

Ning Yuxuan glanced at the trending topics and discovered that a video from her graduation ceremony had been dug up by netizens. She scrutinized the video carefully but still couldn't recall much about the person in it; she only remembered he was a classmate from her department. However, with over a hundred people in the department, she had mostly socialized with the female students and had no interest in the men, leaving her with no impression of them after all these years.

Ning Shiyue, on the other hand, remembered him more clearly than she did. When Shen Chipeng was mentioned, Ning Shiyue’s tone was laced with disdain: "That guy was on your department’s basketball team, but his playing skills were nothing special." He had decent physical fitness, but his basketball IQ was terrible.

Ning Yuxuan bit down on her chopsticks. "I think I remember him now."

Ning Shiyue stared at her. "Remember what?"

"That Shen-something guy," Ning Yuxuan recalled. "I think he got crossed up and knocked over by a player from the Electronics Department during the College Cup finals."

Back then, one of Ning Yuxuan's roommates had a boyfriend on the basketball team, and she had dragged Ning Yuxuan to watch the school's basketball championship. The team lost that game, and Shen Chipeng had performed the worst among the Management School players. Her roommate had complained about it in her ear for a month, claiming her boyfriend had been dragged down by him.

Ning Fei also chimed in, "Is that the boy who came to our house for dinner once during your freshman winter break, Xuanxuan? He was quite tall and sturdy, and he had a very sweet mouth."

Ning Shiyue gave a light scoff. "Exactly. In the time it took to eat one meal, he complimented you on your youth at least five times and even said you looked like a movie star."

Ning Fei nodded with a smile. "Yes, exactly." The boy hadn't realized she was actually an actress; he had assumed she just happened to resemble a character in a movie.

Ning Yuxuan took a sip of barley tea. "Why do I feel like you two remember this person better than I do?"

Ning Shiyue glanced at her. "Did you think everyone was as heartless as you?"

Ning Fei just smiled without saying a word. When it came to her daughter, she naturally left a deeper impression.

As the conversation shifted to the people who had pursued Ning Yuxuan in college, Ning Shiyue became even more talkative. "And remember that senior of yours, the one with the surname Li?" Ning Shiyue curled his lip. "On Valentine's Day, he mailed a whole pile of chocolates to the house. Mom doesn't eat sweets, and you don't like hazelnut flavor, so in the end, it all got dumped on me."

Ning Yuxuan chewed on a piece of potato and blinked. "That happened?"

Ning Shiyue sighed. "Yes, it took me two months to finish that pile of chocolates. Don't tell me you don't remember any of it?"

Ning Yuxuan put on a thoughtful expression. "I have a faint impression... but there were so many boys giving me gifts from the time I was little, how could I remember them all?"

Ning Shiyue laughed in frustration. "Are you actually proud of that?"

"I didn't say anything," Ning Yuxuan replied with a smile. "I was just stating a fact."

Ning Fei joined the conversation with a laugh. "Do you remember when you two were in middle school and you had a competition to see who would receive more love letters in a semester?" She had always been open-minded about these things, so the children never avoided telling her about such matters.

Ning Shiyue frowned. "I actually did something that childish?"

Ning Yuxuan spoke at the same time: "Who won in the end?"

Ning Shiyue: "..."

Ning Fei laughed. "Xuanxuan won by a narrow margin—one more than Shiyue."

Ning Yuxuan's eyes curved into crescents. "I knew it was me."

Ning Shiyue looked at her, speechless. "What is there to be proud of in that!"

Ning Yuxuan remained unmoved. "I won, regardless. And if we were to compare the number of gifts received, I’m sure I had more than you, too."

Ning Shiyue let out a huff. "What's there to compare? All those guys who liked you only knew how to send snacks and flowers—not a bit of thought put into it."

As he was speaking, a notification chimed on Ning Yuxuan's phone. It was a message from Xie Zhiyan: *The items you asked me to pick up have arrived.*

Ning Yuxuan took a second to register, remembering that when they were at the supermarket last time, she had asked Xie Zhiyan to pick up some dried tofu from Xingcheng for her. She had just mentioned it in passing and hadn't expected a busy man like Xie Zhiyan to actually remember. However, that brand of dried tofu was truly delicious, but unfortunately, it was only sold locally in Xingcheng and had a short shelf life, so she couldn't stock up on a whole case at once.

Ning Yuxuan replied: *Are you mailing them to my house? Do you need my address?*

Xie Zhiyan: *I was in too much of a hurry the last two times I saw Ms. Ning and didn't have a chance to bring a gift. I have some free time in two days, so I'll just bring them over then.*

He meant to deliver them in person. Ning Yuxuan thought about it and replied: *Sure, send me a message before you come over.* When Xie Zhiyan arrived, she could just happen to recruit him as her hotel consultant again.

After sending the message, Ning Yuxuan noticed Ning Shiyue watching her from across the table. She raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to say?"

Ning Shiyue looked away. "...Nothing." Her lips had curled up slightly when she replied to the message, and he had no idea whose message had put her in such a good mood. He wanted to ask, but felt it would make him seem too concerned with her private life.

Ning Yuxuan, however, had no intention of hiding it. "It's a message from Xie Zhiyan."

Ning Shiyue immediately asked, "What does Brother Zhiyan need?"

Ning Yuxuan told the truth: "He said he didn't bring a gift for Mom last time, so he's bringing one in two days, and he's helping me pick up some dried tofu on the way."

Ning Shiyue let out an "Oh."

Ning Fei took a sip of tea. "Zhiyan is very thoughtful. He brings me gifts every year; it’s been like that for years."

Ning Yuxuan was surprised. "Every year? How come I didn't know?"

Ning Fei smiled. "They were always mailed directly to the house, and I’m the one who opens the packages, so of course you wouldn't have an impression."

Ning Yuxuan pondered, "Should I prepare some gifts for Ms. Zheng, then..." Over the years, her energy had been entirely focused on Gu Yunhao, and she had even lost touch with her closest friends, so she naturally hadn't been in the mood to prepare gifts for the elders.

Ning Fei said gently, "Xinmei doesn't lack anything and wouldn't mind. But if you’re thoughtful enough to do it, of course it's good. Xinmei would surely be very happy to receive a gift."

Ning Yuxuan blinked. "Then I'll go pick something out when I have time; you can help me choose, Mom."

Ning Fei's brows flickered. "Isn't Zhiyan coming over in two days? Why don't you let him help you choose?"

Ning Yuxuan batted her eyelashes. "His taste isn't as good as yours, Mom."

Ning Fei shook her head with a smile. "I've heard that for all the gifts Xinmei has sent you over the years, Zhiyan was there to help. That book from this year—wasn't that brought back from the UK by Zhiyan?"

The two of them chatted while they ate, but Ning Shiyue remained silent for a long time. He felt a faint, nagging sensation that something wasn't right. All the men who used to pursue Ning Yuxuan always liked to send things to the house—piles of snacks and trinkets. Why was Brother Zhiyan starting to send snacks now?

*No, impossible,* Ning Shiyue told himself. Xie Zhiyan was worlds apart from those men; they were simply not in the same category. Furthermore, it was absolutely impossible for Xie Zhiyan to have any interest in his sister—otherwise, how could he have kept it from him?

*Right, impossible!*

Ning Yuxuan's phone was particularly lively today. Shortly after finishing her conversation with Xie Zhiyan, two more messages arrived from people she hadn't been in contact with for a long time.

One was from the male classmate mentioned earlier.

Shen Chipeng: *Haha Yuxuan, I never expected to appear on the trending list with you. You still remember me, right? I really didn't think netizens would dig up such an old video; I was so shocked when I saw it, hahaha, I never imagined we'd be spotted by netizens.*

Shen Chipeng: *I watched your show, you’re still as beautiful and cute as ever! And I never knew before that your mother was a movie star. By the way, do you have any time recently? Such a rare coincidence, how about I treat you to a meal?*

Ning Yuxuan had forgotten when she had added him as a contact, and their chat history was completely blank—likely lost when she switched phones. Seeing him compliment her beauty and then ask her out to dinner, even someone as slow as Ning Yuxuan could see the signs. Shen Chipeng was interested in her.

Ning Yuxuan refused without a moment's hesitation: *Thanks, but I'm quite busy lately, so a meal won't be necessary.*

She had been blunt, but Shen Chipeng didn't give up and quickly replied: *It's fine, I understand. We’re both adults, and I'm quite busy with work too. But it’s such a rare coincidence, and we haven't seen each other in so long. How about I come near your place and we just have a casual meal?*

Ning Yuxuan frowned. She remembered this classmate surnamed Shen hadn't been this persistent in the past. He knew the address of her home; if he didn't give up, it would be quite troublesome.

After thinking for two seconds, she replied: *I'm sorry, I actually just got married recently. My husband is quite strict and doesn't like me eating alone with other men.*

This time, Shen Chipeng might have been genuinely shocked; it took several minutes for him to reply.

Shen Chipeng: *Oh, that’s so sudden. Congratulations, congratulations, haha! Happy marriage!*

He then sent an emoji, likely wanting to end the conversation. This suited Ning Yuxuan perfectly.

Besides Shen Chipeng, Ning Yuxuan's college roommate Tao You also sent a message. Tao You was the roommate whose boyfriend was on the basketball team; they had been very close in college, and Tao You had helped Ning Yuxuan block many unwanted admirers. After graduation, Tao You stayed in North City for work, and their friendship had persisted for a while until Ning Yuxuan stood Tao You up several times for Gu Yunhao. Although Tao You didn't say anything, their relationship had slowly faded away.

Looking at the chat history, the last time they had been in contact was half a year ago. That day, Tao You had invited her out shopping, but Ning Yuxuan had replied that she was on a date with Gu Yunhao, and they hadn't chatted since.

Tao You: *Why did that guy Shen Chipeng suddenly pop up? He’s like a haunting ghost.*

Even after half a year, Tao You's tone was as familiar as ever, as if they had just chatted last night. Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but chuckle.

She replied: *I know. He just asked me to dinner, but I turned him down.*

Tao You sent a single "Ah," followed by a string of question marks and exclamation points. After a few seconds, she asked: *You didn't agree to it, right?*

Ning Yuxuan: *No.*

Tao You: *Good! He’s got some nerve. After failing to pursue you back then, he went through three or four girlfriends, and now he’s coming back to find you? He isn't trying to play the 'devoted lover' card, claiming he hasn't forgotten you all these years, is he?*

Ning Yuxuan: *Not really. Maybe because I refused him quickly enough, he didn't have the chance. By the way, you still hate him that much? Because of that basketball game?*