Chapter 9

Page 1/3

Ning Yuxuan was caught off guard by Xie Zhiyan’s suggestion and paused, failing to respond immediately.

The car stopped right at the entrance of the villa district, where a uniformed security guard approached.

The villa community was strictly managed; vehicles not registered in the system had to be logged before entry.

The residents here were all well-off, and even though the guard saw Xie Zhiyan’s luxurious car, he still followed the rules.

The registration form required several pieces of information, and the driver took a pen, filling it out item by item.

Ning Yuxuan glanced at the man beside her. “Shall we get out and walk the rest of the way?”

She considered it; what Xie Zhiyan said wasn’t without reason.

But before seeing her mother, they needed to rehearse their story.

Xie Zhiyan nodded. “Alright.”

They got out of the car one after another. Ning Yuxuan hesitated before speaking. “Mr. Xie…”

Walking beside her, Xie Zhiyan dryly pointed out the flaw, “Are you planning to call me that in front of your mother later?”

Ning Yuxuan was speechless.

“I'll switch it when we get home,” she said, refusing to admit it was her mistake.

Clearing her throat, Ning Yuxuan spoke again. “Xie Zhiyan, I think today we should meet my mom just as friends. We’re not that close, and pretending to be a couple right away feels a bit fake.”

Xie Zhiyan glanced at her but said nothing.

If it were those people from the birthday banquet, seeing Xie Zhiyan’s reaction would likely have them trembling and reconsidering what they said.

But Ning Yuxuan had known Xie Zhiyan since his student days; she was largely immune to his authoritative presence.

She continued without changing expression, “Besides, I just broke up a few days ago. It’d be hard for my mom to believe I found a new boyfriend so quickly. Don’t you think?”

Xie Zhiyan replied calmly, “I have no objection.”

Ning Yuxuan clapped her hands. “Then it’s settled.”

There was still some distance to the villa, and they walked side by side.

As evening approached, their shadows stretched long, sometimes close, sometimes apart.

Ning Yuxuan looked up at the man beside her, suddenly curious.

“Aren’t you a bit nervous?” she asked.

Xie Zhiyan glanced at her. “Nervous about what?”

Ning Yuxuan fell silent for a moment.

Of course, Xie Zhiyan had seen every kind of scene; meeting the parents wouldn’t faze him.

Such a man—she wondered if the world ever ended, would she ever see him panic?

“…Boring,” she muttered.

A faint laugh seemed to brush past her ears.

Ning Yuxuan turned to look but could detect no hint of emotion on his face.

Finally, they reached the villa entrance. Ning Yuxuan opened the door with the fingerprint lock.

Upon hearing the sound, Ning Fei came from the living room and saw Xie Zhiyan and her daughter standing side by side.

“Zhiyan?” Ning Fei was momentarily stunned, then looked at Xie Zhiyan in confirmation. “Why… did you come here with Yuxuan?”

Ning Fei hadn’t seen her longtime friend’s son for two years.

The last time she met Zheng Xinmei, Zheng complained that her son was too busy, only able to visit once a month.

Though it was framed as a complaint, it carried a hint of pride.

Among their peers, only Xie Zhiyan held such a high position; his busy schedule was naturally different from the average second generation.

Yet, he still managed to return to the old family home at least once a month, always bringing gifts for Zheng Xinmei.

Page 2/3

Xie Zhiyan handed the fruit in his hands to Ning Fei. “Yuxuan and I happened to meet today, and since it’s been a while, we thought we’d drop by.”

There was a small supermarket in the villa district; they had bought the fruit together just now.

Ning Fei smiled as she accepted the fruit. “You’re too polite, Zhiyan. I’ll take the fruit inside first. Yuxuan, please get a pair of slippers for Zhiyan.”

She turned to the kitchen, still surprised, replaying Xie Zhiyan’s words in her mind.

Since it was a coincidence, it must have been at the birthday banquet.

Her daughter and Xie Zhiyan hadn’t been in much contact for years, and Ning Fei was only close with Zheng Xinmei, having little relationship with the rest of the Xie family.

For such a busy man as Xie Zhiyan to come back just to see his daughter—and her—was unexpected.

Ning Fei felt a twinge of doubt.

After putting the fruit away, she returned and asked her daughter, “Yuxuan, you and Zhiyan haven’t eaten dinner, right? I haven’t cooked yet; I’ll set another pair of chopsticks.”

Usually, the housekeeper cooked, but with an upcoming program, Ning Fei wanted to practice her culinary skills herself.

Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly. “No trouble, I’ve got a dinner engagement tonight. I won’t stay long. I came mainly because Yuxuan introduced me…”

In just a few words, he laid out the whole story behind the hotel investment.

Including why he chose Ning Fei’s Huayuan Hotel instead of investing in other, larger hotels.

Ning Yuxuan, who knew the real reason, stood nearby but couldn’t detect a single hint of suspicion. She had to admire Xie Zhiyan’s composure and quick thinking.

Ning Fei naturally didn’t sense any deceit either. After a moment of surprise, she was both amazed and delighted.

Since opening the hotel, Ning Fei had considered financing, but at her age, she didn’t want to take big risks or exhaust herself.

She hadn’t expected her daughter, who only recently mentioned wanting to help manage the hotel, to bring such an investor like Xie Zhiyan.

The sudden good news left Ning Fei at a loss for words. “Then—”

Ning Yuxuan cut in, “Mom, leave the details to me. Just think of it as a chance for me to gain experience. If there are problems, I’ll come to you for advice.”

Ning Fei hesitated. “...Alright.”

Though a bit uneasy, she nodded in front of the guests.

Everything was going too smoothly; Ning Yuxuan suspected Xie Zhiyan had planned this all along.

After a moment, she said to him, “Since you’re busy later, let me walk you out?”

Xie Zhiyan and Ning Fei exchanged polite words before Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan left together.

Just as they stepped down the villa stairs, Ning Yuxuan couldn’t help asking, “Xie Zhiyan, you’ve already planned what to say to my mom, haven’t you?”

Xie Zhiyan said nothing, implying yes.

Ning Yuxuan grumbled, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have struggled so much trying to explain to my mom why you chose to invest in Huayuan.”

Xie Zhiyan replied calmly, “You never asked.”

Ning Yuxuan was speechless.

Xie Zhiyan’s driver had already brought the car to the villa entrance.

Teasing him, Ning Yuxuan said, “Mr. Xie, don’t you have a social engagement tonight? I won’t keep you, then. You must be busy.”

Xie Zhiyan chuckled softly.

This time, Ning Yuxuan saw it clearly—the man’s lips curved upward for a brief second.

Before getting into the car, Xie Zhiyan said, “See you next Tuesday.”

Ning Yuxuan was momentarily stunned, then remembered—they had agreed to register their marriage next Tuesday.

The bronze Bentley started slowly, passing by a black car.

The black car stopped, and Ning Shiyue stepped out.

He looked back at the Bentley that had just driven away, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly until it disappeared around the corner.

Page 3/3

Ning Shiyue stepped forward. “Who was that man at the door just now? Was he looking for you?”

It probably wasn’t Gu Yunhao; the temperament didn’t match, and Gu Yunhao usually drove a Panamera.

Ning Yuxuan stared at Ning Shiyue for two seconds, then curved her eyes into a smile. “Why so many questions? I’m not telling you!”

Ning Shiyue was speechless.

Ning Yuxuan smiled brightly and turned to open the door, ignoring him.

Seeing Ning Shiyue return, Ning Fei smiled, “Dinner in an hour. This time I’m making steamed bass.”

Ning Shiyue bent down to change slippers. “Thanks, Mom.”

Ning Yuxuan interjected, “You should be thanking me—I gave up my braised fish.”

Ning Shiyue rolled his eyes.

They helped Ning Fei set the table and served dinner.

Ning Shiyue mentioned his plans for the next few days. “I’m going to Xing City tomorrow, probably for two or three days.”

The nature of an actor’s work was to travel constantly. Ning Fei was unsurprised. “Going to film a show?”

Ning Shiyue nodded and casually added, “And an audition.”

He glanced at Ning Yuxuan.

He didn’t say more, but Ning Yuxuan immediately understood. “The drama I mentioned before?”

Ning Shiyue looked down as he picked up a piece of fish. “Yeah, they said there’s a role suitable for me, and the director happens to be there.”

Ning Yuxuan smiled. “Not bad, not bad.”

Ning Fei watched the siblings, surprised. “Yuxuan, did you want Shiyue to audition?”

As far as she knew, Ning Yuxuan never really cared about Ning Shiyue’s work. The siblings rarely discussed it.

Ning Yuxuan smiled. “Yes, I said there’s an original novel I like, and I wanted him to act in it.”

Ning Shiyue quickly explained, “It’s not because she likes me that I’m going. It just happens there’s a suitable role, that’s all.”

Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.

“Good,” Ning Fei said, smiling with narrowed eyes. “Whether it’s a coincidence or not, the result is what matters.”

After dinner, Ning Shiyue returned to his apartment to pack for tomorrow.

Ning Yuxuan went to the study.

Half an hour later, Ning Fei brought a plate of fruit and opened the study door, finding her daughter resting her chin in her hand, staring at the computer screen.

“What are you busy with?” she asked.

Ning Yuxuan smiled. “Looking over those hotel documents you sent me earlier. When the new store opens, I can’t just be clueless.”

Seeing her daughter so motivated, Ning Fei felt deeply gratified.

Since graduating from university, Ning Yuxuan hadn’t focused on anything for long.

This time, she seemed determined, and Ning Fei resolved to support her wholeheartedly.

“Good,” Ning Fei said. “If you don’t understand something, ask me. If I can’t help, I’ll ask others on the management team.”

In the following days, Ning Yuxuan was busy with hotel matters.

She met again with the person in charge of selling the hotel and formally signed the transfer contract.

The manager was shocked to learn she was really buying the hotel.

The rest of the time, Ning Yuxuan contemplated plans for renovation and reopening.

The reason those four hotels were up for sale was simply insufficient funds and unsatisfactory profits.

Ning Yuxuan visited them all; the décor and infrastructure were outdated, and two didn’t even have smart TVs.