Cen Meng's alternate Weibo account was extremely discreet—never posting daily updates, with no personal information filled out, and even registered under a phone number that wasn't her own.
Yet, Cen Meng still felt that as a public figure, she had to be extra cautious. Netizens these days were incredibly resourceful, and if her account were exposed, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter.
So, although she had maintained this alternate account for a long time, she rarely used it to voice her thoughts.
Today, however, she couldn’t resist leaving a comment.
Unexpectedly, Ning Fei’s first variety show appearance after over a decade away from the spotlight had drawn in many viewers who didn’t usually watch such programs, making its popularity unusually high.
On top of that, Ning Yuxuan’s performance on the show was genuinely entertaining, and her striking looks only added to the appeal. The hashtag, which had been trending at sixth place earlier, had climbed another spot and showed no signs of stopping.
As more and more netizens clicked into the trending topic, countless eyes naturally landed on Cen Meng’s comment.
Just as Cen Meng was trembling with anger after reading the hateful replies directed at her, another notification popped up on her screen.
She reflexively tapped it, only to be met with two more insults.
Her presence in the entertainment industry wasn’t particularly high-profile, and with her fans controlling the narrative in comment sections, she rarely encountered negative remarks about herself online.
This was the first time Cen Meng had faced such concentrated malice from strangers.
Her vision darkened, and she nearly choked on her breath.
Locking her phone and tossing it aside, the resentment in her heart grew fiercer.
Ning Yuxuan—what did she have besides a famous mother?
Gu Yunhao was already hers, and one day, everything Ning Yuxuan possessed now would belong to Cen Meng instead.
...
On set, during a break after reshoots, Ning Shiyue heard a fellow actor call out to him.
"Congratulations, Shiyue!" The speaker was a young actress, not yet twenty, and this was her first acting role.
Though Ning Shiyue wasn’t the most senior actor in the cast, his popularity was undeniably the highest, and many younger performers were eager to engage with him.
He wasn’t fond of small talk with strangers, so he merely glanced at her and asked, "For what?"
The actress raised her phone to show him. "Your mom and sister are trending! Everyone’s praising them."
In the past, many had tried striking up conversations with Ning Shiyue, but he had always responded with polite detachment, keeping his words minimal.
This time, the young actress hadn’t expected much either—she was just naturally outgoing and had been a casual fan of Ning Shiyue before entering the industry.
To her surprise, Ning Shiyue looked at her and, for once, leaned in slightly.
To stay focused, he usually handed his phone to his assistant during shoots.
But his assistant had gone to fetch something from the trailer, and if Ning Shiyue wanted to see the trending topic immediately, this was his only option.
The actress blinked in surprise before quickly lifting her phone higher, eagerly explaining, "This is the first hashtag—look, everyone’s talking about how great your family dynamic is!"
"And this one! Netizens are obsessed with Ning Fei’s expressions!"
"Shiyue, let me know when you’re done, and I’ll show you the second hashtag. There’s a fan edit that’s absolutely amazing!"
She rambled on excitedly before realizing that Ning Shiyue hadn’t cut her off or walked away, as he usually would have.
When she glanced at him again, she froze.
Ning Shiyue was still staring at the screen, his expression softer than she’d ever seen outside of acting, the faintest hint of a smile touching his lips.
Her heart skipped a beat.
That tender gaze—the two people on the screen must be the most cherished in his life.
For the first time, she felt a pang of genuine envy toward Ning Shiyue’s sister.
...
By the time the sky had fully darkened, Ning Shiyue had finally wrapped up all the reshoots.
As his assistant, Ding Yan, helped him pack up, he asked, "Shiyue, heading back to your place tonight?"
The drama’s filming was on pause, but he had another schedule tomorrow afternoon.
Normally, Ning Shiyue would return to his own apartment if he had work the next day.
But his voice was calm as he replied, "No. I’m going home tonight."
Ding Yan paused, the thermos in his hand freezing mid-motion as he looked at Ning Shiyue in surprise.
Ning Shiyue simply nodded.
He glanced down at his phone, where the trending video from earlier was still open.
His voice carried a trace of warmth as he repeated, "Home."
...
At nine in the evening, the ring roads of Beicheng were still packed with traffic.
After exiting the highway and passing several traffic lights, the car finally rolled into the gated villa community.
When Ning Shiyue opened the door, he heard Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan chatting.
After changing his shoes and hanging up his coat in the entryway, he walked into the living room to find the two of them squeezed together on the sofa.
Ning Fei nodded approvingly at the TV. "Shiyue did that scene really well—very natural."
Ning Yuxuan shrugged. "Sure, but the veteran actress playing his mom probably carried him. She’s a pro."
Ning Shiyue: "..."
"Ning Yuxuan," he said, his eyelid twitching, "couldn’t you just praise me for once?"
Then he looked at the TV and nearly groaned.
It was a drama he’d filmed two years ago—a coming-of-age story where he played the second male lead.
Back then, it had been his first major role, and between nerves and inexperience, his performance hadn’t been his best.
Still, his looks had been enough to earn him a wave of new fans and significantly boost his visibility.
But to Ning Shiyue, this drama was nothing short of a personal embarrassment.
"You two—" He glared at his mother and sister, torn between irritation and helplessness. "Couldn’t you at least pick one of my better works? Why this one?"
Seeing her son’s exasperated yet slightly flustered expression, Ning Fei couldn’t help but laugh.
Beside her, Ning Yuxuan blinked innocently. "That’s on you. Look at our dear Ning Fei—every single one of her performances is flawless."
Ning Fei laughed even harder.
Ning Shiyue was momentarily speechless before finally mustering a retort. "And what about you? Let’s see your acting—"
Before the siblings could escalate into full-blown bickering, Ning Fei smoothly intervened. "Alright, enough. You two can argue later. Since you’re both here, there’s something I want to discuss."
Truthfully, seeing her children banter like this warmed her heart.
For a long time, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue had barely acknowledged each other’s presence. Scenes like this had been rare.
But Ning Fei had a chronic sleep disorder—if she didn’t stick to her nightly routine by ten, she’d be up all night.
So she cut them off and got straight to the point.
"Next week, your father will be in Beicheng for business," she said gently. "If you two aren’t too busy, why don’t we all have dinner together?"
At that, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue exchanged a glance.
After her parents divorced, they lived separately in different cities and rarely saw each other unless absolutely necessary.
Her father had since remarried, though Ning Yuxuan had never met his new wife. She’d only heard that the two of them got along well.
As for her mother, though she hadn’t remarried, she had dated a few men over the years—clearly, she had long moved on.
Ning Fei’s stance was simple: once divorced, they were strangers, and there was no need to interfere in each other’s lives.
However, she also insisted that, no matter what, he was still the father of her two children. Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue shouldn’t deny their own flesh and blood.
So whenever her ex-husband came to Beicheng, Ning Fei made sure her children had time to meet with him.
"I know, Mom," Ning Yuxuan replied.
Ning Shiyue, however, remained silent.
When Ning Fei divorced and took the two children with her, Ning Yuxuan was just over seven years old, and Ning Shiyue was only five.
If Ning Yuxuan still had some fond memories of her father, Ning Shiyue’s recollections barely included him at all.
Ning Fei sighed and didn’t push further. "I’m going to bed. You two should rest early too."
After watching Ning Fei return to her room, Ning Shiyue also got up from the couch and headed toward his own.
Ning Yuxuan called out from behind him, "Ning Shiyue."
He paused mid-step and turned to look at her. "Ning Yuxuan, don’t bother trying to convince me."
Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow. "Convince you of what?"
Ning Shiyue didn’t answer.
She waved him over. "Come here."
Pursing his lips, he hesitated but eventually walked back.
"What is it?" He avoided her gaze.
Ning Yuxuan smiled. "Be honest with me. Did you cancel that audition you’d been preparing for just to rush home and film the variety show today?"
Ning Shiyue, who had been deliberately avoiding eye contact, stiffened in surprise. His eyes widened as he stared at her. "How did you know?"
Without missing a beat, Ning Yuxuan replied, "I’m all-knowing and all-powerful."
Ning Shiyue: "…"
She switched to a more serious tone. "What I mean is, missing that one might be a blessing in disguise. I heard there’s a period drama casting right now, and I really love the original novel. Why don’t you give it a try?"
In the original storyline, Cen Meng, wanting to appear magnanimous in front of Gu Yunhao, had him pull strings to get Ning Shiyue a minor role in the drama he’d missed.
Ning Shiyue never knew Cen Meng was behind it. Lured by the director’s reputation, he accepted.
But the show ended up flopping spectacularly. The only thing that gained any attention was Cen Meng’s supporting role.
Ning Shiyue’s character not only went unnoticed but was also criticized for poor acting and a weak role.
Later, Cen Meng "accidentally" leaked rumors of him throwing tantrums on set and repeatedly messing up takes, further ruining his reputation.
In reality, it was Cen Meng constantly insulting Ning Yuxuan in front of him that drove Ning Shiyue to lose his temper on set.
His character’s poor reception was also because Cen Meng used her connections to rewrite his script, shifting all his character’s defining moments to hers.
After reading this part of the story, Ning Yuxuan had resolved to stop Ning Shiyue from taking that role.
The other drama she mentioned, though produced by a less prestigious team, ended up being a dark horse, achieving impressive ratings.
Still, to most people, the missed audition was a golden opportunity, and passing it up seemed like a waste.
As Ning Yuxuan was pondering how to persuade him further, Ning Shiyue suddenly asked in a quiet voice, "You really like it that much?"
His voice was so soft she barely caught it. "What did you say?"
He looked slightly awkward. "I said, do you really like the original novel that much?"
Ning Yuxuan blinked, then nodded. "Yeah."
Ning Shiyue huffed. "Well, since you’re so set on me doing it, I guess I can give it a shot."
With that, he turned and hurried off as if someone were chasing him.
Ning Yuxuan: "…"
After a moment, she couldn’t help but laugh.
Her little brother was a bit more endearing than she remembered.
…
The next day, Ning Yuxuan slept until noon before remembering her "arrangement" with Gu Yunhao.
Sure enough, when she opened WeChat, there were several messages from him.
Gu Yunhao: [I’ve gathered all the things you wanted back.]
Gu Yunhao: [When and where do you want to meet?]
Both were sent at 8:30 AM. What surprised her was that Gu Yunhao hadn’t followed up with more messages to hurry her along.
Gu Yunhao wasn’t exactly known for his patience.
What Ning Yuxuan didn’t know was that Gu Yunhao hadn’t pressed her because he assumed her lack of response meant she regretted agreeing to the breakup but was too embarrassed to say so.
Right now, he was secretly hoping Ning Yuxuan would change her mind and come crawling back.
Had she known what he was thinking, she would’ve told him to stop dreaming.
Ning Yuxuan: [How about 2 PM?]
She sent him a location near a food street.
Ning Yuxuan: [Meet here?]
The night before, Ning Fei had mentioned craving a particular brand of sour plum drink from an old shop. Ning Yuxuan planned to pick some up on the way home.
Gu Yunhao replied instantly: [Sure.]
She was surprised by how agreeable he was being today but didn’t dwell on it.
Ning Shiyue had left for work in the morning, so Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei made dumplings for lunch.
After eating, Ning Yuxuan drove to the food street.
Gu Yunhao was already waiting when she arrived.
Seeing her approach, he cleared his throat, trying to appear solemn.
"Here’s the stuff you gave me." He handed her a bag containing the watch and custom-tailored suit she’d once gifted him.
Ning Yuxuan gave a nonchalant "Oh" and glanced inside.
Everything she’d asked for was there.
She shot him a look. "Alright, I’m leaving."
Since he was being cooperative today, she decided not to waste energy scolding him—no point ruining her mood.
But before she could walk away, Gu Yunhao called out, "Wait—"
Ning Yuxuan turned back, frowning. "What else is there?"
