After getting out of the car, Xie Zhiyan seemed to completely ignore Gu Yunhao, walking straight past him.
Xie Zhiyan approached Ning Yuxuan and greeted her.
Ning Fei smiled and nodded but felt a twinge of worry in her heart.
Her daughter’s ex-boyfriend suddenly showing up was already shocking enough, and now Xie Zhiyan happened to arrive at the same time.
She wasn’t sure if her daughter could handle this situation.
Ning Fei spoke up, “Zhiyan—”
She wanted Xie Zhiyan to come inside with her first, so her daughter could deal with Gu Yunhao on her own.
After all, this was her daughter’s personal matter, and Ning Fei didn’t want to interfere too much.
But before she could finish, Ning Shiyue pushed the door open and came out from the villa’s entrance. “Mom, you’re back?”
Ning Shiyue had just returned home not long ago after an event. Hearing some noise outside but no one entering, he came out to check.
To his surprise, four people were standing at the door — besides his mother and sister, there were two other men.
Ning Shiyue’s relaxed expression instantly tightened. His gaze flicked between Gu Yunhao and Xie Zhiyan before settling on Gu Yunhao with a hard stare.
The meaning in his eyes was clear: What are you doing here?
Ning Fei was speechless.
This scene was utterly chaotic.
Ning Fei exchanged a glance with her daughter and stepped forward to grab her son’s arm. “Xiaoyue, let’s go inside first.”
Ning Shiyue shot Gu Yunhao a glare.
Honestly, he really wanted to go up and give Gu Yunhao a piece of his mind — no, more than that.
Ever since Gu Yunhao had gotten together with Ning Yuxuan, Ning Shiyue had wanted nothing more than to beat him up.
But to avoid causing trouble for his mother and Ning Yuxuan, Ning Shiyue had forced himself to hold back.
Reluctantly, Ning Shiyue agreed to Ning Fei’s suggestion, “Mm.”
Ning Fei looked at Xie Zhiyan. “Zhiyan, you…”
Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly. “I’ll stay with Yuxuan.”
Ning Fei: “...Alright then.”
With Xie Zhiyan by her daughter’s side, Ning Fei felt less worried about Yuxuan getting hurt.
She reminded Ning Yuxuan, “Finish your conversation quickly and come inside.”
Ning Yuxuan nodded.
Finally, Ning Fei cast a glance at Gu Yunhao before going inside with Ning Shiyue.
Only three people remained outside.
Gu Yunhao still held the bouquet of white lilies, standing stiffly there with a somewhat ridiculous expression on his face.
The summer heat in Beicheng was stifling. He was wearing a full suit and tie. Although the car’s air conditioning was on, standing outside for a while had already made him sweat all over.
Meanwhile, Xie Zhiyan wore a light-colored shirt, looking much fresher and more composed.
Gu Yunhao’s outfit was clearly more formal than Xie Zhiyan’s, but inexplicably, he felt his own aura was inferior.
It was probably because of his lack of confidence.
Gu Yunhao was still a peripheral figure in his family’s business empire, while Xie Zhiyan was already the one in control of the group — even Old Master Gu treated Xie Zhiyan with respect.
This time, Gu Yunhao’s only goal was to persuade Ning Yuxuan, to make her see that there was no future between her and Xie Zhiyan, and to come back to him instead.
He never intended to compete with Xie Zhiyan, much less expected to run into him face-to-face today.
Xie Zhiyan was not someone Gu Yunhao could afford to offend. Even if he didn’t stand up for himself, he had to consider the Gu family’s interests.
Moreover, Gu Yunhao wasn’t even sure what kind of relationship Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan had now.
He had met Xie Zhiyan a few times at various events before. Although their statuses were worlds apart, he couldn’t pretend not to know him.
A swirl of thoughts flashed through his mind as he forced a smile at Xie Zhiyan. “Mr. Xie…”
Xie Zhiyan gave a slight nod, his face unreadable.
Gu Yunhao glanced at Ning Yuxuan standing beside Xie Zhiyan, then quickly looked away.
“Mr. Xie,” Gu Yunhao said, “I came today because there’s something I want to discuss with Yuxuan alone.”
The unspoken message was clear: he hoped Xie Zhiyan would step aside for a while.
But Xie Zhiyan didn’t budge.
Ning Yuxuan sneered and took over the conversation. “Gu Yunhao, ever since our last meeting, there’s been nothing between us. I have nothing to talk to you about.”
Gu Yunhao tightened his grip on the bouquet.
Before coming, he had steeled himself mentally, determined to swallow his pride and speak gently to Ning Yuxuan, hoping to make peace.
He believed that Ning Yuxuan was soft-hearted and still held deep feelings for him; if he persisted with a few kind words, he could surely move her.
But he hadn’t expected there to be a third party present, and suddenly, all his prepared words felt useless.
It was a matter of dignity. No matter how much he wanted to humble himself, he couldn’t grovel before another man.
Xie Zhiyan still stood there, showing no sign of leaving.
Gu Yunhao didn’t dare ask Xie Zhiyan to leave directly, so he turned to Ning Yuxuan and said, “Yuxuan, I know you’re still angry with me, but… just give me a few minutes. Can we step aside and talk?”
Ning Yuxuan rolled her eyes. “I already told you, there’s nothing to say between us. I hope you won’t come looking for me anymore. You wouldn’t want the whole social circle to know that the young master of the Gu family is shamelessly pestering his ex-girlfriend, right?”
She knew Gu Yunhao cared most about his reputation in the elite circles and in front of those so-called ‘brothers.’ The recent string of events must have been a huge blow to his pride, so she deliberately hit him where it hurt.
Having said that, Ning Yuxuan gave Xie Zhiyan a look. “Let’s go inside.”
Xie Zhiyan replied, “Alright.”
When she got out of the car, she was holding a bottle of soda. Xie Zhiyan naturally took it from her, his voice gentle, “You open the door.”
Ning Yuxuan’s hands were free, and she walked to the door to press the fingerprint lock.
Xie Zhiyan stood behind her, waiting. The two of them left Gu Yunhao with nothing but their backs.
Their height difference was more than half a head, and standing side by side, they looked like a perfect couple.
This image struck Gu Yunhao deeply.
Just half a month ago, Ning Yuxuan’s eyes were full of him, and now she treated him coldly, instead going home with another man right in front of him.
And there he was, standing on the roadside with a bouquet in hand, watching it all unfold like a joke.
The door unlocked, and Ning Yuxuan stepped inside first.
Just as Xie Zhiyan was about to follow inside, the door was about to close in the next moment.
Gu Yunhao’s mind went blank, and he ignored everything else.
He shouted loudly, “President Xie!”
Xie Zhiyan paused slightly, as if he had said something to Ning Yuxuan.
Then Ning Yuxuan took the bag Xie Zhiyan had been carrying, along with the bottle of drink he had just taken, and gently closed the door.
Xie Zhiyan turned and walked down the steps, coming to the roadside.
“What do you want to say?”
Gu Yunhao was still caught up in the heat of the moment and blurted out, “I really like Yuxuan. No, I love her.”
Strangely, he had never once said the word “love” to Ning Yuxuan when they were together—at most, he had given her vague, noncommittal answers when she asked if he loved her.
Yet now, facing a man he barely knew, Gu Yunhao easily let the words “I love Ning Yuxuan” slip out.
He looked at Xie Zhiyan. “President Xie, I don’t know what your relationship with Ning Yuxuan is, but… I want to tell you, maybe there are some misunderstandings between Yuxuan and me, but that doesn’t stop us from truly loving each other.”
Xie Zhiyan furrowed his brow slightly.
But that was all—no further reaction.
Gu Yunhao felt like a clown talking to Xie Zhiyan but couldn’t suppress the bitterness inside.
The calmer Xie Zhiyan remained, the more Gu Yunhao wanted to shatter his composure and drag him into the emotional storm.
At least make this conversation sound less like he was the only one losing his mind.
No matter how calm or aloof Xie Zhiyan was, he was still a man. He couldn’t remain indifferent after Gu Yunhao’s repeated provocations.
Gu Yunhao noticed Xie Zhiyan’s gaze flicker to his hand, so he seized the moment and raised the flowers he held. “President Xie, these are lilies—Yuxuan’s favorite. I had people search all over Northern City just to find this rarest variety.”
He put the flowers down, then roughly tugged at the tie around his neck with his left hand. “And this tie—Yuxuan gave it to me when we first got together. She said she spent days running around countless malls before finally choosing the one that suits my style best.”
As he spoke, his chest heaved with emotion.
He didn’t even understand why he was telling Xie Zhiyan all this—maybe just to anger him, to see him lose control.
But he failed.
Xie Zhiyan just looked at him. “Are you done?”
Gu Yunhao: “…”
Xie Zhiyan’s expression remained calm, only his eyes showing a clear chill.
It was that chill that suddenly snapped Gu Yunhao back to reality.
What was he doing, telling Xie Zhiyan all this?
If Xie Zhiyan took out his anger over today’s events on the entire Gu family, then…
Gu Yunhao’s heart tightened. He was about to say something to make amends.
Xie Zhiyan looked at him, voice cold and deep: “You’re done talking, you can leave. Don’t come here to bother her again.”
After a pause, Xie Zhiyan glanced at the flowers in Gu Yunhao’s hand and spoke again: “Oh, one more thing.”
"She hates lilies the most because she doesn’t like their scent," Xie Zhiyan said, leaving behind this sentence before turning and walking up the steps.
The villa door was left slightly ajar. Ning Yuxuan pushed it open and peeked inside. "Are you done talking?"
Xie Zhiyan responded with a hum.
The door then closed, leaving Gu Yunhao standing alone by the roadside, stunned.
Xie Zhiyan changed his shoes at the entrance. Ning Yuxuan watched him curiously. "What were you two talking about? Why did it take so long?"
There was no news of any cooperation between the Gu family and the Xie family. Given Xie Zhiyan’s status, he probably wasn’t very familiar with someone like Gu Yunhao, who was on the fringes of the business world.
She couldn’t figure out what the two could have possibly discussed for so long.
Xie Zhiyan’s gaze shifted behind Ning Yuxuan. Without changing his expression, he said, "I’ll explain it to you in detail when I have time."
Ning Yuxuan glanced back. Ning Fei had just come out of the kitchen and stopped when she saw her daughter talking to Xie Zhiyan.
Ning Shiyue was at the dining table. Although he wasn’t openly watching, he was still paying attention to the interaction between the two.
"Alright then." Ning Yuxuan didn’t press further and quickly changed the subject. "Mom said dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Do you want to come to the study first? We can talk about Huayuan’s matters."
She gave Xie Zhiyan a meaningful look.
The hotel project wasn’t urgent, but Ning Yuxuan remembered that the last time Xie Zhiyan left, she had told him that next time they met, it would be as a couple in front of Ning Fei.
But after that, both of them got busy with their own affairs—preparing for the new store involved a lot of work, and Ning Yuxuan also had variety show commitments.
Before today’s meeting, she hadn’t had the chance to bring this up with Xie Zhiyan again.
They needed to discuss in advance how to behave during dinner.
Xie Zhiyan nodded, "Okay."
Ning Yuxuan led him toward the study.
Ning Fei saw the two of them walking together and called out, "Yuxuan?"
Ning Yuxuan explained, "I’m taking Xie Zhiyan to the study to have him look over the design plans."
Ning Fei frowned, "It’s almost time to eat..."
Ning Yuxuan pouted, "I’m just eager."
Ning Fei sighed.
Ever since her daughter decided to help manage Huayuan and open a new store, she had been like she was on adrenaline all day.
Except for the days she was filming variety shows, she basically got up and went straight out to inspect or research plans.
Ning Fei had seen this kind of behavior before—when her daughter was little and took a liking to something, she would throw herself into it with a hundredfold passion.
Whether it was painting, singing, or dancing.
But usually, she wouldn’t stick with it for long—sometimes just a few days, at most half a month—before losing interest.
So seeing her daughter so dedicated this time, Ning Fei felt both comforted and worried that she might be pushing herself too hard and burning out too soon.
Counting the days since her daughter first mentioned opening a new store, it had been exactly half a month.
It seemed her daughter’s enthusiasm hadn’t faded yet.
Ning Fei looked at Ning Yuxuan helplessly. "Alright then, you two go to the study to look over the plans. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready."
“Mm-hmm.” Ning Yuxuan nodded repeatedly, “Got it!”
She followed Xie Zhiyan into the study and closed the door behind them.
After a moment’s thought, she even locked the door, then pulled on it twice more to make sure it was secure.
Xie Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. “Is all that really necessary?”
Ning Yuxuan caught the teasing tone in his voice and shot him a displeased glance. “I call it being cautious.”
She straightened up and sat down in the only chair beside the desk. “Don’t you remember what we said last time before you left?”
Xie Zhiyan looked at her intently. “That you’re my girlfriend?”
Ning Yuxuan: “...”
That was exactly what she meant, but hearing him say it like that made it sound oddly significant.
“Right,” Ning Yuxuan said. “Last time we agreed that the next time we met, we’d admit to my mom that we’re a couple.”
She absentmindedly twisted her right fingers with her left hand—a habit she had when thinking.
Ning Yuxuan pressed her lips together. “But… maybe we should just forget it for today. You came so suddenly, and I’m not quite ready yet.”
Xie Zhiyan smirked. “Scared?”
Ning Yuxuan: “...”
“I’m not,” she snapped, glaring at him. “I just think it’s a bit rushed. We haven’t even rehearsed what we’re going to say.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Xie Zhiyan’s brow.
Ning Yuxuan muttered to herself, “It’s just pretending to be in a relationship. It’s not real. What’s there to be scared of…”
Xie Zhiyan’s eyes twinkled with amusement but he said nothing.
Ning Yuxuan took his expression as mockery and felt a surge of competitiveness. “Fine, then! Let’s just rehearse it right now. How about that?”
There were still twenty minutes before dinner, so if they hurried, it should be enough time.
Xie Zhiyan’s smile grew wider. “Alright.”
Ning Yuxuan ran through the stages of a relationship in her mind before speaking. “First, when exactly did we start dating?”
Before Xie Zhiyan could answer, she went on, “I broke up with Gu Yunhao half a month ago, that weekend. So, our relationship has to be after that.”
At first, she hadn’t thought much of it, but putting it that way made her feel this was really too rushed.
She had just broken up two weeks ago, and now she was supposed to pretend to be Xie Zhiyan’s girlfriend in front of her mother.
But she had already agreed to do it today, and backing out now would make her seem like she was really scared.
Ning Yuxuan sat on the chair, deep in thought.
The house had two studies in total. The one on the first floor was smaller, and the only chair was already taken by Ning Yuxuan.
Xie Zhiyan leaned against the wall by the bookshelf, looking lazy and casual, yet his posture remained effortlessly superior.
After a moment, Ning Yuxuan lifted her head to look at him. “How about this: say you confessed to me when you came over on Tuesday. I thought it over for three days and agreed on Friday.”
That timeline made sense. A confession had to be in person to be sincere, and since she started filming a variety show on Saturday, she had to agree before then.
Xie Zhiyan nodded. “Sounds good.”
Ning Yuxuan looked at Xie Zhiyan with satisfaction, thinking to herself that he was quite cooperative.
She then asked, "So, when exactly did you start liking me?"
Xie Zhiyan didn’t answer immediately; he just looked at her.
Ning Yuxuan thought he might be at a loss for words, so she offered a suggestion: "How about those few days right after I broke up? We ran into each other at the birthday banquet, and you were instantly attracted..."
Xie Zhiyan shot her a glance.
Clearing her throat, Ning Yuxuan added, "I mean, love at first sight."
To her, those two phrases didn’t really make much difference.
Xie Zhiyan looked at Ning Yuxuan with a helpless expression. "When I first met you, you were still in middle school. How could I have fallen in love with you at first sight?"
Ning Yuxuan realized the ambiguity in her words and quickly corrected herself: "What I meant was... that day at the birthday banquet when we ran into each other, you suddenly realized that the little girl you remembered had grown into such a beautiful woman! With such a great figure! So stunning and charming! And that’s when you suddenly started liking me."
As she spoke, several similar scenes from romantic dramas popped into her mind. She became more and more animated, almost gesturing wildly.
Xie Zhiyan watched her and couldn’t help but smile.
Ning Yuxuan frowned at him, displeased. "Don’t just laugh. Do you think it works?"
Xie Zhiyan suppressed his smile. "Not really convincing."
Ning Yuxuan frowned. "What’s not convincing about it?"
She had just praised him for being cooperative in her mind, and now he was picking her apart.
Xie Zhiyan said casually, "I’m very observant. What you described—I wouldn’t need all these years to figure that out."
Ning Yuxuan was momentarily stunned.
She felt like Xie Zhiyan was complimenting her.
But his tone was so calm and unruffled that she couldn’t be sure.
Before she could figure it out, Xie Zhiyan nonchalantly continued, "You seem to have forgotten that last time you told me it was me who had always liked you. It’s just that because you had someone else, I never confessed all these years."
Ning Yuxuan was a little confused. "…Really?"
It seemed like that was the case.
Since she had made up the stories every time, she couldn’t even remember exactly what she had said last time.
Ning Yuxuan thought it over. "So, both stories seem possible. One is that you suddenly liked me again when you saw me that day. The other is that you’ve actually had a secret crush on me all along."
She fiddled with her fingers and pondered for a moment. "Maybe the first one is better? After all, secretly liking someone for so many years doesn’t really fit your personality..."
Xie Zhiyan lightly retorted, "And being attracted at first sight fits better?"
Ning Yuxuan was left speechless.
This man always managed to leave her dumbfounded with just a few words.
"Fine," Ning Yuxuan thought for a few seconds before making a decision. "Let’s say you’ve liked me all along."
She summarized, "So, you’ve liked me for years, and after I broke up, you finally had a chance. You confessed to me not long after, and then we got together just a couple of days ago."
“Now, let’s go over some details,” Ning Yuxuan said, looking at Xie Zhiyan. “How do you plan to address me? Like my mom does—calling me ‘Xuanxuan’?”
Xie Zhiyan: “Alright.”
Ning Yuxuan: “Then I’ll also…”
Zheng Xinmei and Ning Fei both call Xie Zhiyan by the last two characters of his name, so logically, she should follow suit.
But when Ning Yuxuan quietly repeated “Zhiyan” in her mind, something felt off.
She glanced at Xie Zhiyan and decisively said, “I’ll just call you by your full name. After all, I’ve been used to it all these years.”
“Fine,” Xie Zhiyan said, looking into her eyes. “Xuanxuan.”
Ning Yuxuan’s breath caught slightly, her heart skipping a beat.
“Xuanxuan” and “Yuxuan” differ by only one character, yet hearing it come from his lips felt worlds apart.
The latter seemed to linger on the man’s tongue, carrying a subtle, enchanting allure.
Ning Yuxuan took a deep breath, pushing away those strange thoughts swirling in her mind.
“That should cover the basics,” she said in a businesslike tone. “Anything else you want to add?”
Two people who just got together didn’t need to know everything about each other; what they’d said so far was enough.
Xie Zhiyan paused for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, “What’s your favorite flower? Ecuadorian explorer?”
Ning Yuxuan looked at him with surprise.
Indeed, her favorite was a variety of red rose called the Ecuadorian Explorer. No special reason—just vivid and beautiful enough.
But she didn’t recall ever telling Xie Zhiyan this before, and the question felt oddly specific.
Even real couples didn’t always know each other’s favorite flowers, let alone the exact variety.
Ning Yuxuan: “Yes, but why do you ask?”
Xie Zhiyan: “So I can bring you some next time.”
Ning Yuxuan blinked: “...Oh, okay, that works.”
If they were a couple, giving flowers would definitely feel more genuine.
With the details settled, Ning Yuxuan stood up to stretch and casually went over to unlock the door.
“After dinner, I’ll tell my mom we’re together,” she said.
Xie Zhiyan: “Mm.”
They locked eyes, and suddenly the air around them grew quiet.
Having just said so much in one breath, Ning Yuxuan found herself at a loss for words, unsure what to say to the man before her.
Her throat felt a little dry from speaking so much, and without thinking, she licked her lips.
Xie Zhiyan’s gaze flickered.
“Xuanxuan.”
Ning Yuxuan: “Hmm?”
The man, who had been leaning against the wall, suddenly moved closer, their faces just inches apart.
Xie Zhiyan’s crisp, cool presence enveloped her.
Ning Yuxuan felt a bit uneasy, her lips parting as if to speak.
At that moment, the study door swung open.
Ning Shiyue stepped in. “Ning Yuxuan, Mom said dinner’s ready soon—”
His words abruptly stopped as he stared in disbelief at the two of them, standing so close.
Ning Yuxuan: “...”
