A video circulating online mostly focused on the dolls displayed in a shop window.
Only in the very last moment of the video did the camera quickly pan past the two main characters, capturing the woman’s full face and half of the man’s body.
Soon after, attentive netizens took screenshots for comparison and confirmed that the woman in the video was none other than Ning Yuxuan herself.
As for the man speaking with her, since his face wasn’t shown and there was no reference point, it was difficult to identify who he was.
Compared to the less than a second of footage showing their faces, the video actually recorded several lines of their conversation.
Besides the line, “It’s me and Mengmeng who owe you an apology, but love doesn’t care about who came first,” there were a few other sentences.
However, none were as clear as that one. Netizens turned up the volume, replayed the clip repeatedly, and painstakingly tried to make out what was being said amidst the noisy background.
One line, spoken by a male voice, was: “The reason I was with you in the first place was because you kept pestering me relentlessly.”
Another was Ning Yuxuan’s: “If you didn’t like me, you could have just broken up directly, instead of treating me with ongoing cold violence. You stood me up five minutes before our date to go buy snacks that Cen Meng likes…”
These were the only clear sentences, but they were enough to piece together the whole story—
Ning Yuxuan and this man had once been a couple, but he fell in love with Cen Meng and then broke up with Ning Yuxuan.
Cen Meng was the third party.
All of this was personally admitted by the man in the video.
Some sharp-eyed netizens, including one known as YH,
compared the few frames showing the man’s hand in the video with photos of Cen Meng’s companion, confirming that the man speaking in the video was the same person as the one in Cen Meng’s wedding toast photo.
It was a Saturday night, with office workers and students resting, and the comment section was buzzing with heated discussion.
Half of the people were condemning the male lead.
“This guy is such a jerk! Dating one girl while fawning over his true love on the side? What a scumbag!”
“And he actually said they got together because the girl kept pestering him. That’s just the lowest kind of scumbag, shirking all responsibility and playing the pure and innocent white lotus male!”
“Huh? ‘Love doesn’t care who comes first’? I just want to slap this guy after hearing that!”
“Can any experts dig up who this guy actually is? I can’t stand it—such a disgusting man still hiding his identity.”
The other half of the onlookers were simply amazed by the dramatic twist.
“This story is so theatrical, even TV dramas wouldn’t dare to script something like this!”
“Sure enough, you can’t pick sides until the very end. At first, I thought Ning Yuxuan was in the right, then I thought she was the homewrecker, and finally I realized Cen Meng was the real third party!”
“Thank goodness the blogger captured this conversation while filming the shop window, or Ning Yuxuan would have been falsely accused for no reason. So many people were swearing at her and trash-talking her before.”
【Honestly, right from the start, I felt something was off. Those two photos of the watches didn’t prove anything at all. I don’t understand how so many people were so sure that Ning Yuxuan was the third party.】
【Cen Meng really can’t be judged by her appearance. She looks so innocent and pure, yet she’s the mistress who even turned around and blamed the other woman?】
……
As the video went viral, several new topics started trending on the real-time hot search list.
#CenMengMistress#
#CenMeng’sNonCelebrityBoyfriend#
#NingYuxuanCallsOutCheater#
The heat around these topics kept rising, but they hadn’t yet cracked the main trending list, so the production team didn’t pay them any attention for the time being.
The guests live-streaming at the moment all had their phones collected and kept by the staff, so it was impossible for them to notice.
The only sign was that a small number of netizens, after catching the gossip, managed to find their way into the live room.
At this moment in the live room, the dinner segment had just ended, and the day’s filming was winding down.
The staff announced that, according to the voting results from the earlier gift-showing segment, everyone could now choose their rooms for the night in order.
There were three rooms available: two on the second floor and one on the third floor.
After touring all three bedrooms, Ning Yuxuan chose the one on the third floor.
Ning Fei had trouble sleeping and needed an especially quiet environment, so the third floor was relatively quieter.
Besides, this room was the largest among all the bedrooms, featuring a private bathroom, a balcony, and two single beds.
The room was decorated simply yet warmly, with clean furniture, which Ning Fei found very pleasing.
Ning Yuxuan could fall asleep anywhere, so as long as Ning Fei liked it, she wouldn’t be picky.
Jiang Ning'an and Cen Meng each picked one of the two rooms on the second floor.
Once the rooms were settled, all the guests gathered in the villa’s living room on the second floor to say goodbye to the audience.
【Aww, it’s already over? I’m going to miss it so much!】
【Anyone else been watching since the live stream started and stayed up till now?】
【Me, me! This season is even better than I expected — family love, humor, drama, everything’s on point!】
【This episode made me a fan of Teacher Ning and Ning Yuxuan. Can’t wait to see more mother-daughter moments tomorrow!】
【See you all tomorrow morning!】
The live chat was flooded with farewell messages from viewers.
Every now and then, a curious onlooker would ask about the whole “Cen Meng as the mistress” scandal, but it didn’t stir up much commotion.
The timing of the show’s end was just right—had it been even an hour later, the live room might have been completely overrun by gossip-hungry netizens.
The special guests wouldn’t be joining the filming tomorrow; after the live stream ended, Ning Shiyue, Pan Wenyan, and Guan Cheng could leave the villa.
Ning Shiyue didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he went to the car, retrieved something, and brought it to Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei’s bedroom.
Ning Yuxuan looked curiously at the bag in Ning Shiyue’s hands. “What’s this? Besides all that meat, did you bring some gifts too?”
Ning Shiyue lowered his head and tossed the bag onto the small tea table in the room, snapping, "And you still have the nerve to bring up buying meat? I was already pressed for time rushing over from the airport. I almost ran myself ragged trying to get everything on your list at the supermarket!"
Ning Yuxuan couldn’t help but point out the truth: "Actually, you didn’t get everything. A few things are still missing, like—"
Before she could finish, she wisely held her tongue.
Because Ning Shiyue looked up in disbelief, glaring at Ning Yuxuan.
Seeing Ning Shiyue about to lose his temper, Ning Yuxuan quickly backed off: "I’m just kidding! Thanks to the meat you bought, we can have a feast tonight. Ning Shiyue, you really are my amazing little brother—so impressive, so awesome! Love you tons!"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
He had been so annoyed with Ning Yuxuan, but after hearing her exaggerated praise, his ears suddenly felt a little warm.
What nonsense was that? Who even taught her to say things like that?
Ning Shiyue turned his head away. "Well, at least you said something halfway decent."
Ning Fei shook her head with a smile from the side and asked, "Xiao Yue, what exactly is in here?"
Clearing his throat, Ning Shiyue explained the whole story: "Today at Xingcheng Airport, I ran into President Xie."
Ning Fei was surprised. "You mean Xie Zhiyan?"
Ning Shiyue nodded.
Neither of them noticed that Ning Yuxuan, who had been curiously inspecting the bag, suddenly froze at those words.
Ning Shiyue continued, "President Xie gave me some specialty products his clients sent him and asked me to bring them home for you to try."
He glanced at Ning Yuxuan. "I figured since you guys didn’t have any snacks at the villa, I’d bring some up. Take whatever you want, and I’ll take the rest back home."
The sound of plastic packaging rustling came from nearby as Ning Yuxuan began checking out what tasty treats were inside.
Ning Fei asked Ning Shiyue, "How did you end up running into Xie Zhiyan?"
Ning Shiyue replied, "Just by chance in the lounge. His flight was about twenty minutes after mine."
Ning Fei pondered for a moment. "Xie Zhiyan’s been busy these past two years. Xinmei said she only sees him once or twice a month. I haven’t heard much from him lately either. But it’s funny—just a few days ago, he came to our house with Yuxuan, saying he wanted to invest in Huayuan, and now you run into him too."
This time, Ning Shiyue was the one surprised. "Xie Zhiyan came to our house? When? How come I didn’t know?"
Ning Fei thought for a moment. "I think it was Tuesday night, the day before you left on your business trip."
Ning Shiyue considered for a second, then turned to stare at Ning Yuxuan.
Ning Yuxuan was pulling a bag of dried tofu from the bag and glanced at him. "What are you looking at me for?"
Ning Shiyue asked, "So that Bentley parked outside our door that day was Xie Zhiyan’s car?"
Ning Yuxuan, distracted by the flavor of the tofu, replied absentmindedly, "Yeah."
Ning Shiyue frowned. "Then why didn’t you tell me back then? You made me overthink things..."
Ning Yuxuan finally looked up from the packaging. "Overthink what?"
Ning Shiyue: "…Forget it, it’s nothing."
In Ning Shiyue’s eyes, Ning Yuxuan was just hopelessly love-struck. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so completely fooled by Gu Yunhao.
That day, when he saw Ning Yuxuan meeting a man in a luxury car right outside their home, his first instinct was to worry that she might have been emotionally hurt and was no longer thinking clearly—maybe she had been deceived by some random man.
Now that he knew the man was Xie Zhiyan, Ning Shiyue suddenly felt a wave of relief.
He couldn’t quite explain why, but perhaps it was because of their childhood experiences that his subconscious trusted Xie Zhiyan to be a reliable person who wouldn’t take advantage of Ning Yuxuan.
"Have you picked it out yet?" Ning Shiyue changed the subject.
Ning Yuxuan waved the bag of dried tofu in her hand. "Just staying one night, this pack is enough for me."
"Alright." Ning Shiyue nodded. "Mom, I’ll head back first."
Ning Fei smiled. "Mm, you’ve had a busy day—rushing to catch a flight and filming a show. You must be tired. Go home and get some rest."
She walked Ning Shiyue to the stairwell, but he insisted she didn’t need to see him off any further.
"It’s chilly outside tonight," Ning Shiyue said. "Besides, I’m an adult now, no need to escort me."
Ning Fei agreed but sighed inwardly.
These two kids—one too independent, the other too worrisome—both made it impossible for her to fully relax.
Back in her room, Ning Yuxuan patted the chair beside her. "Mom."
Ning Fei came over. "What is it?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Let me help you take down your hair."
YH
Today, the stylist had done Ning Fei’s hair in an elegant braided style. It looked graceful and refined, but to keep it in place, they had used many pins and hair ties, making it difficult to undo.
Ning Fei was momentarily surprised but nodded after a couple of seconds. "Okay."
She sat down on the chair, and the next moment, Ning Yuxuan’s fingertips gently brushed her temples.
"Mom, close your eyes and rest for a bit. I’ll call you when I’m done."
Ning Fei: "…Mm."
Her daughter’s simple words made Ning Fei’s eyes sting with emotion.
Ning Yuxuan found a small box and took out a tiny pair of scissors.
The hair ties used to secure the braids were so tight that cutting them was easier than trying to pull them off.
When Ning Fei was younger, her hair could only be described as jet-black and thick as a cloud—abundant and silky.
Now, over fifty years old, she had grown some gray hairs, but her hair volume remained plentiful.
For the sake of the show, she had even dyed her hair, so she looked not much different from when she was young.
Feeling her daughter standing behind her, fingers gently working through her hair, Ning Fei was filled with countless emotions.
Long ago, she had been the one standing behind her daughter, combing her hair like this.
Back then, Ning Fei was still acting and often went days without a break.
Every time she came home, her daughter would cling to her right away, begging her to do her hair.
Ning Fei still remembered asking her daughter, "Don’t you have the housekeeper to do all kinds of pretty hairstyles for you? Why do you still like having Mom do it so much?"
Her daughter’s eyes sparkled as she replied, "Mom’s hairstyles are different from anyone else’s!"
At that time, Ning Fei had only thought that children spoke without restraint, but now, looking back, she felt a different kind of emotion.
The crisp metallic sound of scissors snapped in her ears, breaking Ning Fei’s train of thought.
She turned her mind back to what had happened earlier that day between her daughter and Cen Meng.
During dinner, her daughter seemed completely unaffected by the events of the day, chatting and laughing with everyone else.
But after all, her daughter had just gone through a breakup not long ago, and Cen Meng was entangled in some unclear relationship with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Ning Fei wanted to comfort her daughter but feared that bringing up these troubling matters would only make her feel worse.
After much thought, Ning Fei gently called her daughter’s nickname, “Xuan Xuan.”
Ning Yuxuan’s hands paused, “Hmm?”
“No matter what happens…” Ning Fei carefully chose her words, “Mom will always firmly stand by your side. So if anything is bothering you, promise me you’ll tell me, okay?”
Ning Yuxuan smiled softly, “I know. But right now, nothing’s really troubling me. As for love, Mom, you don’t need to worry about me. If I had to say something… I actually have lots of ideas about opening a new store. After the show, I’ll talk to you about it?”
Ning Fei lowered her gaze. “Alright.”
After a brief silence, Ning Fei spoke seriously again, “I’m very happy that you’re willing to help me manage Hua Yuan. I’ll give you my full support. And about what you said regarding relationships, Mom respects your feelings on that too.”
Ning Yuxuan removed the last small hairpin and placed it in her palm, half-joking, “Mom, don’t you want me to settle down soon?”
She was about to turn twenty-five, and by all accounts, she wasn’t at the age where marriage should be rushed.
But in her circle of friends, it wasn’t uncommon to see wedding invitations or bridal photos from her middle school and college classmates.
Not to mention, when she was with Gu Yunhao, she often heard about wealthy heiresses her age marrying heirs of various business empires.
Ning Fei shook her head gently. “Of course, it’d be wonderful if you meet the right person. But if you don’t want to get married, Mom won’t pressure you.”
When Ning Fei was twenty-five, she believed in love above all else, which was why she chose to step away from her career at its peak to marry and have a son and a daughter.
But now, at her current age and after experiencing a failed marriage, her perspective had changed.
Having finished removing the hairpins, Ning Fei stood up and reached out to tuck a stray lock of her daughter’s hair behind her ear.
“What I’m saying is true,” Ning Fei said. “Even if you never get married your whole life, Mom is willing to support you forever.”
Ning Yuxuan blinked, “Then I guess I want to be a mama’s girl forever. Mom, would you ever get tired of me?”
Ning Fei couldn’t help but laugh, tapping her daughter’s nose gently. “Never.”
Ning Yuxuan smiled too.
Ning Fei glanced at her daughter’s hair. “Let me help you take out the pins as well.”
Ning Yuxuan’s hairstyle today wasn’t as complicated as Ning Fei’s, but since she had to be on camera, the stylist had used a few small clips to assist.
She switched seats with Ning Fei and sat down in the chair.
As Ning Fei removed the clips from her daughter’s hair, she pondered over what Ning Yuxuan had just said.
Back then, when Ning Yuxuan was with Gu Yunhao, she wholeheartedly wanted to marry into the Gu family as soon as possible.
And now? What is she thinking?
It was rare for Ning Fei to have a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter, and after hesitating for a long moment, she finally spoke up: “Xuanyuan, how do you feel now? Do you still want to be in love… or have thoughts about getting married?”
Gu Yunhao was her daughter’s first love and once the person she cared about the most.
Ning Fei worried that after experiencing hurt and betrayal, her daughter might start to resist intimate relationships.
Her daughter didn’t have to get married, but Ning Fei hoped she could be happy.
Ning Yuxuan was silent for a few seconds.
Ning Fei thought she didn’t want to answer and was about to change the subject.
Suddenly, Ning Yuxuan said, “Actually, recently… there’s a man with good prospects pursuing me, and I’m considering it.”
Ning Fei was stunned.
She never expected this to be her daughter’s answer. She instinctively repeated, “Good prospects?”
Ning Yuxuan gave a short “hmm”: “Young, wealthy, good-looking, and has a great figure.”
As she spoke, she ran through Xie Zhiyan’s image in her mind, feeling quite satisfied with her own description: simple and accurate.
Ning Yuxuan added, “But there’s a downside—he’s quite busy with work and might not be able to spend much time with me.”
To her, this was actually a plus, but to sound more realistic, she naturally had to mention some “flaws.”
Since the matter of marrying Xie Zhiyan would have to be told to Ning Fei sooner or later, she might as well lay some groundwork now.
Ning Fei was completely bewildered.
She was still stuck on the fact that her daughter was nostalgic about Gu Yunhao, so how did she suddenly start talking about a new suitor?
Ning Fei tried to catch up with her daughter’s train of thought: “So… do you like him?”
Ning Yuxuan shamelessly praised herself: “So-so. He’s more infatuated with me than I am with him.”
Anyway, Xie Zhiyan would never hear these words, so Ning Yuxuan spoke without any psychological burden.
Ning Fei didn’t know what to say for a moment.
“Since that’s the case…” Ning Fei hesitated, “you should think it over carefully. Don’t agree to someone’s pursuit just on impulse.”
They had argued too many times before over matters of love, so Ning Fei learned her lesson and didn’t press too hard this time.
Ning Yuxuan: “Okay, I will.”
Her hairstyle was much simpler than Ning Fei’s, and by the time she finished speaking, she had already started taking it down.
Ning Fei was used to going to bed around ten o’clock every night. Calculating the time, it was about time to wash up.
Ning Yuxuan took the scissors from Ning Fei’s hand: “Mom, you go take off your makeup and shower first. I’ll tidy up the room.”
The bedding in the room was all freshly changed, and the staff had already helped move the luggage inside, but it still needed a bit of organizing.
The pile of gifts they had bought during the day also needed to be put away somewhere for now, and they would bring them home after the recording finished tomorrow.
Fortunately, the room was spacious enough to hold all the things they had bought.
Ning Fei went to the bathroom to shower, while Ning Yuxuan stayed in the room to finish tidying up and took the chance to open a pack of dried tofu to snack on.
By the time she finished the last piece, Ning Fei had just changed into her pajamas and came out of the bathroom.
After Ning Yuxuan finished washing up, the two of them turned off the lights and got into bed.
All phones and electronic devices had been temporarily collected and kept by the production team, to be returned to the guests after tomorrow’s filming concluded.
Ning Fei, due to her chronic insomnia caused by nervous exhaustion, often found it difficult to fall asleep even when going to bed on time.
But tonight, hearing her daughter’s gentle breathing in the darkness, Ning Fei felt an unusual sense of peace.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and in that half-dream, half-awake moment before sleep, Ning Fei faintly heard Ning Yuxuan’s voice.
“Mom, this time, I will never lose you again.”
Her body gradually sinking into slumber, in a drowsy haze, Ning Fei answered her daughter in her heart—
“Silly child, how could I ever leave you?”
.
Early the next morning, the livestream room was set to reopen promptly at 10 a.m.
At 9:45, Cen Meng and Qiao Yazhen were the first to arrive in the living room on the second floor of the villa.
A few minutes later, Jiang Ning'an and Qin Man also arrived.
Cen Meng wore exquisite makeup, her face adorned with a sweet smile.
After witnessing the public opinion shift in her favor last night, her mood had improved significantly compared to before.
Thinking about how Ning Yuxuan would soon be the target of a thousand accusations, the resentment Cen Meng had been bottling up recently finally found an outlet, and her complexion looked much better.
The only thing that felt less than perfect was—
the fact that this morning, when she tried her usual trick to borrow a phone from the intern again, she was refused.
The intern explained that the director had suddenly instructed all staff last night to strictly manage the guests’ electronic devices.
No staff member was allowed to privately hand over communication devices to the guests; any special circumstances had to be reported directly to the director.
The phones the intern had been responsible for had already been handed over to someone else, so even if he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do.
Hearing this, Cen Meng had no choice but to give up.
She guessed that the production team had already noticed the trending topic and, to avoid affecting the filming, had taken all possible measures to keep Ning Yuxuan from finding out.
She hadn’t expected the team to be so cautious—not only strictly guarding Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei, but also forbidding her from using her phone.
Fortunately, she had already made all the necessary arrangements with her contacts and didn’t need to reach out to them again.
Moreover, before yesterday’s livestream ended, the term “Ning Yuxuan is the mistress” had already climbed the trending charts.
Given the public’s fascination with entertainment industry scandals and the popularity of this variety show, the public opinion should have fermented enough by now, with little chance of major deviations.
Cen Meng smiled confidently, eagerly awaiting Ning Yuxuan’s appearance.
At 9:55, Ning Fei, dressed in a blue traditional qipao, came downstairs.
At fifty-one, Ning Fei maintained an excellent figure; the tailor-made high-end qipao perfectly outlined her curves.
Seeing Ning Fei come down alone, Cen Meng stood up proactively.
“Teacher Ning, good morning,” Cen Meng greeted her. “Did you rest well last night?”
Ning Fei frowned slightly but did not reply.
Now, she had completely lost all fondness for Cen Meng, but the upbringing ingrained deep in her bones still prevented her from saying anything harsh to a young girl in public.
Ning Fei ignored Cen Meng and walked straight over to the sofa to sit down.
Cen Meng felt a surge of displeasure but kept her smile unchanged. "Teacher Ning, why hasn't Yuxuan arrived yet? Is she feeling unwell?"
Before she could finish speaking, footsteps echoed from the stairs.
Ning Yuxuan entered the second-floor living room, casting a cold glance at Cen Meng. "What? Are you happy that I haven't shown up?"
The curve at the corner of Cen Meng’s mouth grew more pronounced. "Not at all. Yuxuan, you're overthinking it. I was just worried because you hadn't appeared yet."
After all, without Ning Yuxuan, this performance of hers would be missing a key player—it simply couldn't go on.
At exactly ten o’clock, the director called out, signaling the official start of filming for the second episode.
Just as Cen Meng had predicted, once the show aired, a flood of viewers "in the know" would rush into the live chat.
The real show was about to begin. Cen Meng adjusted her expression and gave the camera a fragile, innocent smile.
She didn’t have to do anything else. As long as she appeared innocent and kind, a swarm of righteous netizens would rush to her defense.
At that moment, as the live stream began, the first comment appeared on the screen.
"I can’t take it—why does it start with Cen Meng’s face right away?!"
……
