This time, Xie Zhiyan drove himself.
Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei sat together in the backseat.
"Zhiyan, we really owe you one," Ning Fei said politely. "It’s so kind of you to pick up Yuxuan and me, and even coordinating with Uncle Li."
Uncle Li was the Ning family’s driver, who was originally supposed to pick them up after the event.
Xie Zhiyan turned the steering wheel, his tone calm. "I should be the one apologizing for coming unannounced. I hope you don’t find it too abrupt, Auntie."
"Not at all," Ning Fei replied with a gentle smile. "By the way, Zhiyan, do you have work to attend to tonight?"
Xie Zhiyan: "No plans for the afternoon or evening. I just dropped my mother off at a friend’s place earlier, and since I was nearby, I thought I’d come get you."
Ning Fei: "Xinmei isn’t home? Then why don’t you join us for dinner?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Thank you for your hospitality, Auntie Ning."
Ning Fei chuckled. "No need to thank me—it’s not like I’m cooking. Just an extra pair of chopsticks for Auntie Xu to set."
After a few more pleasantries, Ning Fei glanced at her daughter. "Oh, you—why are you back on your phone again?"
Ning Yuxuan looked up. "Finally done with the formalities?"
Ning Fei gave her a bemused look. "What kind of talk is that?"
Ning Yuxuan stuck out her tongue.
Ever since Ning Fei learned about her relationship with Xie Zhiyan, she had become even more courteous toward him—far more than before.
Perhaps treating a friend’s son and treating a future son-in-law were just different mindsets.
Once the conversation between Ning Fei and Xie Zhiyan lulled, Ning Yuxuan asked curiously, "Xie Zhiyan, who’s the bouquet in the passenger seat for?"
She had noticed it when she got in—a pastel pink-and-purple arrangement.
Ning Yuxuan didn’t know much about flowers, but she recognized the pale pink peonies. The others, though, she couldn’t name.
Xie Zhiyan answered warmly, "For Auntie Ning."
Ning Fei was surprised. "For me?"
She had also noticed the bouquet when she got in, but since it was Xie Zhiyan’s car, she hadn’t asked.
Just then, the car stopped at a toll gate.
Curious about the flowers, Ning Yuxuan took advantage of the pause to lean forward and reach for the bouquet across the seats.
Ning Fei didn’t have time to stop her and could only warn, "Oh, you—be careful not to bump into anything!"
Ning Yuxuan replied, "Relax, I won’t damage your flowers!"
Ning Fei sighed in amusement. "I meant you—don’t hit your head! The flowers aren’t going anywhere. Why the rush?"
Ning Yuxuan finally pulled the bouquet into her lap and grinned at Ning Fei. "See? Your daughter’s nimble as a cat. Both me and the flowers are perfectly fine."
Ning Fei shook her head helplessly. "You’re grown up now, yet still as impatient as a child."
Ning Yuxuan handed the bouquet to her. "Here, Mom—take a look at your flowers!"
Ning Fei accepted them fondly. "Blue Fuji peonies with pink-edged balloon flowers—what a lovely pairing. Fresh and elegant. I’ll arrange them in the vase at home."
She turned to Xie Zhiyan. "You’re too thoughtful, going out of your way to bring me flowers."
Xie Zhiyan: "As long as you like them, Auntie."
Ning Yuxuan fiddled with the dusty pink spray roses in her hands, then glanced at the bouquet in her mother’s arms.
"You know," she mused, "these flowers are all so pretty. Roses, peonies, balloon flowers—all beautiful."
Ning Fei looked at her daughter with affectionate teasing. "You’ve always been this way—loving everything, wanting to learn everything, your tastes changing by the day. Weren’t you just saying you loved roses? Already moved on?"
Ning Yuxuan declared matter-of-factly, "Because they’re all gorgeous! A hundred flowers make spring. And who says you have to be loyal to just one? I’ll be fickle if I want!"
Ning Fei’s brow furrowed slightly.
Words spoken carelessly could carry unintended weight.
As someone who had learned this the hard way, Ning Fei knew it didn’t matter if her daughter spoke so freely at home—but her boyfriend was right there. What if he took it the wrong way?
"Yuxuan—" she began, but before she could find a subtle way to redirect, Xie Zhiyan spoke first.
"That’s fine. If Yuxuan loves all flowers, I’ll never have to worry about what to give her."
Ning Yuxuan added, "Well, not all flowers—they have to be pretty and smell nice!"
Xie Zhiyan chuckled and agreed, "Of course."
Ning Fei swallowed what she had been about to say.
Oh well. Children would find their own way.
At least for now, Xie Zhiyan clearly adored her daughter wholeheartedly, and Yuxuan was happy in the relationship. No need for her to meddle.
The drive home passed through the city, and traffic slowed slightly.
Ning Yuxuan tossed the flowers aside and dozed off against Ning Fei’s shoulder.
Ning Fei carefully placed her daughter’s roses on the seat and straightened her jacket.
The car's air conditioning was on, and getting a direct blast of cold air could easily make one catch a chill.
Ning Fei had originally planned to wake her daughter five minutes early, but seeing how soundly she was sleeping, she couldn’t bring herself to disturb her.
Only when the car came to a smooth stop in front of their home did Ning Fei gently rouse her daughter: "Xuanxuan, we're home."
As she patted her daughter’s back, she glanced up at Xie Zhiyan, who had opened the car door for them, and explained, "She must be exhausted from playing games all day at the show. She dozed off in the car—sorry to keep you waiting."
Xie Zhiyan smiled warmly. "No rush."
His slender fingers brushed Ning Yuxuan’s hand, giving it a light pat.
Under the combined gentle coaxing of her mother and Xie Zhiyan, Ning Yuxuan finally woke up.
There was still some time before dinner after they got home.
Ning Fei carried the bouquet to the living room, fetched a pair of scissors, and prepared to trim and arrange the flowers her daughter’s boyfriend had given her in a vase.
Ning Yuxuan followed her. "Mom, I’ll keep you company!"
Ning Fei patted her daughter’s shoulder. "Come on, Xuanxuan, you’ve never been interested in flower arranging. Don’t just stand here making a mess. Why don’t you take Zhiyan upstairs to rest? I’ll call you both when dinner’s ready."
Knowing her daughter had little patience for such things, Ning Fei didn’t insist on involving her.
She also considered that Xie Zhiyan had come to see her daughter, and the young couple probably wanted some time alone—she wasn’t about to play the third wheel.
Ning Yuxuan, shooed upstairs, grumbled indignantly, "I just wanted to see how she trims them. She wouldn’t even let me watch."
Then she turned to Xie Zhiyan, who had followed her up. "By the way, I haven’t asked—what made you suddenly decide to pick me up today?"
Xie Zhiyan’s brow twitched slightly, but before he could answer, Ning Yuxuan cut him off. "And don’t give me the same excuse you told my mom. I don’t buy it. What are the odds you just happened to be nearby right when my show ended?"
Xie Zhiyan chuckled.
"I’m your boyfriend," he said leisurely. "Is it so strange that I’d come specifically to pick you up?"
Ning Yuxuan pointed out the obvious: "But before this, except for that one time you sent a driver, you never personally came to get me after recordings."
Xie Zhiyan replied, "Before, our relationship wasn’t public. Now it’s different."
Ning Yuxuan stared at him.
Xie Zhiyan met her gaze without flinching.
Something still felt off to Ning Yuxuan, so she wordlessly walked over and sat down on the nearby couch.
The same thing had happened on Saturday morning—he’d suddenly insisted on driving her to the show, even making a point to step out and greet Ning Fei, drawing plenty of attention before leaving.
Xie Zhiyan’s car alone was already more eye-catching than most, and combined with his commanding presence, nearly everyone at the scene had been curious about his identity.
On her way to the makeup room afterward, several people had asked Ning Yuxuan if the man who dropped her off was her boyfriend and what he did for a living.
Having gotten along well with the crew over the past month since the show started, they felt comfortable asking her directly.
Ning Yuxuan had confirmed Xie Zhiyan’s status as her boyfriend but brushed off further details, deflecting the questions casually.
Now, looking back, while Xie Zhiyan’s actions could be explained individually, Ning Yuxuan couldn’t shake the feeling there was something she was missing.
Lost in thought, she absentmindedly fiddled with her fingers.
Xie Zhiyan took a seat beside her.
Ning Yuxuan turned to him. "Xie Zhiyan, you didn’t suddenly start picking me up and dropping me off just to show off your boyfriend status, did you?"
Xie Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. "Show off to whom?"
"How should I know?" Ning Yuxuan teased. "I’m not a mind reader. It’s not like I can eavesdrop on your calls or snoop through your phone to figure out which of the many people you interact with managed to provoke the great CEO Xie."
Xie Zhiyan replied, "You’re welcome to check if you’d like."
Ning Yuxuan blinked. "I—what?"
Casually, Xie Zhiyan pulled out his phone and placed it on the empty space between them.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the device lying on the couch, then back at him.
She’d only been joking, with no real intention of doing so.
But now, with his personal phone right in front of her, the temptation was undeniable.
She’d feel like she was missing out if she didn’t take a look.
She double-checked. "You’re really letting me see?"
Xie Zhiyan responded nonchalantly, "Mm. The passcode is our wedding anniversary."
Ning Yuxuan picked up the phone, fingers pausing mid-motion.
Their wedding date—what day was it again?
She only remembered it was a Tuesday. Without checking a calendar, the exact date completely escaped her.
She tried to recall but quickly gave up.
No clue whatsoever.
She slowly lifted her head and looked at Xie Zhiyan.
Their eyes met, and she bit her lip, blinking her lashes guiltily.
Ning Yuxuan didn’t realize that her eyes held a faint glimmer of moisture at that moment, her expression carrying an unusually pitiful charm—quite different from her usual self.
Xie Zhiyan’s gaze flickered slightly before he abruptly averted his eyes from hers.
The man recited a date.
Ning Yuxuan blinked. "Thanks for the reminder."
She had a gut feeling that Xie Zhiyan’s reaction was somewhat unusual: no sarcastic remarks, no additional comments.
Had he already guessed that she’d forgotten this date?
More importantly, why did Xie Zhiyan remember it so clearly? That was worth pondering.
But for now, compared to these thoughts, Xie Zhiyan’s private phone in her hands held far greater appeal.
Following his instructions, Ning Yuxuan entered the six-digit passcode and successfully unlocked the screen.
Truthfully, she wasn’t interested in combing through his chat logs to investigate where he’d been or which women he’d talked to.
Her curiosity was more about him as a person, coupled with the thought that since she finally had this chance, it’d be a waste not to look.
After a moment’s consideration, Ning Yuxuan opened Xie Zhiyan’s WeChat and typed her own name into the search bar.
She wanted to know how Xie Zhiyan had talked about her to others.
Before searching, she expected that he probably hadn’t mentioned her much—after all, Xie Zhiyan didn’t seem like the type to discuss his personal life with others.
Yet the moment she hit enter, a flood of chat logs appeared, so extensive that she couldn’t even scroll to the bottom.
It wasn’t Xie Zhiyan bringing her up in conversations, but rather countless others asking him about her.
These seemed to be from when they had just publicly announced their relationship—messages from his friends pouring in.
The phrasing was eerily similar, with different people asking Xie Zhiyan variations of the same question: "Are you really dating Ning Yuxuan?"
She had underestimated how much the elite circles of Beicheng cared about Xie Zhiyan’s love life.
But Xie Zhiyan hadn’t replied to any of them.
Ning Yuxuan scrolled for a long time before finally finding his response to one message: 【It’s true. Ning Yuxuan is my girlfriend.】
So this was the single reply that had triggered that wave of people rushing to add her on WeChat back then.
Ning Yuxuan glanced sideways at Xie Zhiyan.
Xie Zhiyan showed no discomfort at having his privacy invaded, appearing completely unruffled. "Done?"
Ning Yuxuan: "...Not yet!"
Having finally gotten her hands on his phone, she felt it’d be a shame to return it so soon.
Seizing the opportunity, Ning Yuxuan recalled the various relationship gossip posts she’d seen online about how people typically snooped through their partners’ phones.
Some checked ride-hailing apps, shopping addresses, or spending records—some even dug into music streaming histories.
But none of those suited her.
For one, she wasn’t that interested in where Xie Zhiyan had been or what he’d eaten. Secondly, it seemed like too much effort.
In the end, she opened a frequently used social platform and checked his search history.
Her eyebrows lifted—
"Best flowers to gift a girlfriend’s mother"
"What kinds of flowers do girls like to receive"
"Beautiful rose varieties"
"Different colors of Ecuadorian roses"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She suddenly felt like laughing.
She’d assumed that when it came to sending flowers, Xie Zhiyan would just give his assistant a general directive and leave the rest to them.
She never imagined he’d personally research it.
Just picturing Xie Zhiyan meticulously studying different flower varieties—maybe even comparing images side by side—made it even funnier.
Ning Yuxuan couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
Xie Zhiyan, who had been deliberately not watching her "investigation," now turned at the sound of her laughter.
She flipped the phone screen toward him. "I never thought you’d personally search for these things."
Xie Zhiyan clearly hadn’t expected her to check his search history either.
For once, the ever-composed man looked momentarily stunned, his gaze tightening briefly.
Ning Yuxuan’s eyes widened as if she’d discovered something groundbreaking. "Xie Zhiyan, are you… embarrassed?"
Xie Zhiyan: "..."
"I haven’t had many opportunities to gift flowers to elders before," he explained.
Zheng Xinmei had many hobbies—cooking and baking among them—but she’d never been one for flowers.
Ning Fei, however, adored floral arrangements and was an expert in the field, able to identify any flower at a glance.
When giving a gift in someone’s area of expertise, caution was necessary.
Especially when that someone was Ning Yuxuan’s mother.
Ning Yuxuan pressed further, "And the other searches? You know what flowers I like—why did you still need to look them up?"
Xie Zhiyan had regained his usual composure and said lightly, "Your standards are too high. I don’t dare to send the same thing every time, so I have to put in more thought to satisfy you."
Ning Yuxuan retorted unhappily, "How are my standards high?"
Still, she couldn’t help feeling pleased knowing that Xie Zhiyan had gone to such lengths to choose flowers for her and her mother.
She tossed the phone back to him.
He caught it deftly. "Done looking?"
Ning Yuxuan waved a hand with exaggerated nonchalance. "That’s enough for now. I’ll come to you again if I need anything else!"
His lips twitched in amusement at her tone and expression.
After a moment, his smile faded as he remarked casually, "Next time, there might not be an opportunity."
Unfazed, Ning Yuxuan shot back, "No problem. I already know your password anyway. If I have to, I’ll just sneak a peek while you’re asleep!"
Xie Zhiyan fixed her with a silent, unreadable gaze, his eyes darkening slightly.
Only then did Ning Yuxuan realize her slip of the tongue.
They were married, yes—but they hadn’t moved in together, let alone shared a bed.
How could she possibly sneak a look while he was asleep?
Would he think she was hinting at something?
She cleared her throat, trying to mask her discomfort. "What I meant was—"
The more she explained, the more it would sound like an excuse. She cut herself off and said simply, "Anyway, I didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t read too much into it."
Xie Zhiyan’s eyes crinkled with amusement. "Read too much into what?"
Her cheeks warmed, and she ignored him.
After a brief silence, he suddenly said, "Yuxuan, do you remember what you told me the day we decided to get married?"
She blinked, thrown by the shift in topic. "What?"
All she recalled was that they had discussed marriage after leaving Old Master Gu’s birthday banquet.
Though their decision had been unusually swift, they’d still exchanged more than a few words that day.
For him to bring up something she’d said then—who knew which line he was referring to?
Xie Zhiyan patiently jogged her memory. "You said back then that we’d tell our families about our marriage two months later."
Ning Yuxuan hesitated. "...Did I really say that?"
She vaguely remembered something along those lines, but the exact wording had long slipped her mind.
Their prenuptial agreement had covered financial matters, but details like when to announce their marriage weren’t specified—there was no way to verify.
She sighed inwardly. She should’ve recorded their entire conversation.
First-time arranged marriages came with a learning curve.
Xie Zhiyan’s tone remained even. "Yes."
A flicker of unease passed through her. "Why bring that up now? No matter how you count it, two months haven’t passed yet, right?"
He replied leisurely, "If we’re going to 'marry,' we should probably consider buying a home in Beicheng."
Ning Yuxuan blurted out, "When we discussed marriage, we agreed to live separately! Buying a house was definitely not part of the deal!"
She might’ve forgotten other details, but the no-cohabitation clause was etched in her memory.
Otherwise, she would never have agreed to marry him so easily.
Xie Zhiyan’s expression softened, his tone placating. "I only mentioned buying a place, not living together."
She remained wary.
He exhaled lightly. "If we don’t even have a home, how will our mothers believe we’re serious about this marriage? Or would you rather tell your mother you’re moving straight into my current apartment after the wedding?"
Ning Yuxuan fell silent.
He had a point.
Ning Fei had mentioned something similar before—that married couples should live independently.
Besides, buying a new home was standard in most weddings, let alone for someone as wealthy as Xie Zhiyan.
For him, purchasing a property was probably as trivial as her buying a handbag.
Maybe even more casual.
She hesitated. "So what are you suggesting?"
His voice was steady. "No need to decide immediately, but you can start looking. Even if we might not live there, since we’re buying, it should suit your preferences."
Ning Yuxuan zeroed in on the key point. "If it’s based on my preferences, who’s paying?"
She wasn’t as financially carefree as Xie Zhiyan—every penny of hers had to be spent wisely.
Besides, she was essentially working for her mother now, with most of her assets tied up in Huayuan’s new branches. She didn’t have much disposable cash.
If she had to contribute even a fraction of the cost for a marital home—just to keep up appearances—she’d resent it.
Xie Zhiyan let out a light chuckle. "I'll cover the cost. You just need to pick."
Ning Yuxuan hesitated. "...I have to record a show on weekends and handle the renovation of my new store on weekdays. I don’t really have time to look at properties."
Xie Zhiyan replied, "You just need to list your requirements. I’ll have Liu Cheng find options that match your criteria."
Ning Yuxuan had heard the name before—Liu Cheng was Xie Zhiyan’s personal assistant.
Xie Zhiyan had laid it all out so reasonably that she couldn’t think of a way to object.
When she thought about it, it didn’t seem like she was at a disadvantage. All she had to do was voice her preferences—no need to spend money or effort, as Xie Zhiyan would handle everything else.
Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling—
that she had somehow, unwittingly, fallen into a trap.
Ning Yuxuan considered for a moment. "About buying a place... I’ll think it over for a couple of days. Once I’ve made up my mind, I’ll call or message you."
After all, purchasing a home was a major decision for her.
Xie Zhiyan nodded. "Alright."
A brief silence settled between them before a knock sounded at the door.
"Yuxuan? Zhiyan?"
Ning Fei’s voice was gentle, but Ning Yuxuan, still lost in thought, startled slightly.
She exchanged a glance with Xie Zhiyan before standing to open the door. "Mom?"
Ning Fei offered a faint smile. "Dinner’s ready. Let’s head downstairs, shall we? That alright with you, Zhiyan?"
"Of course, Auntie," Xie Zhiyan replied with a polite nod.
As they stepped out, Ning Fei subtly tugged at her daughter’s sleeve.
Ning Yuxuan paused, turning to her mother.
Xie Zhiyan walked ahead, descending the stairs.
Ning Fei seemed to hesitate before speaking. "Yuxuan, I wasn’t eavesdropping, but... your voices carried. The doors aren’t soundproof, and I happened to overhear a little when I came upstairs."
Ning Yuxuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Ning Fei continued, "You and Zhiyan... Are the two of you planning to buy a home together? For marriage?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
