After saying goodnight to Xie Zhiyan, Ning Yuxuan returned home.
Ning Fei was still awake and waved to her daughter.
“Yuan Yuan, come sit with me,” Ning Fei said gently, looking at her daughter. “Mom wants to have a talk with you.”
Ning Yuxuan walked over and sat down beside her mother.
She had a rough idea of what her mother wanted to ask.
Sure enough, Ning Fei spoke first: “Yuan Yuan, about buying a house—what exactly are your thoughts on this?”
Ever since she had overheard her daughter’s conversation with Xie Zhiyan by chance, the two hadn’t had a one-on-one talk.
Ning Yuxuan answered honestly, “I think it’s still a bit early, but... Xie Zhiyan said he would take responsibility for both the money and the effort, so he can contribute as well.”
Ning Fei asked, “Is it that you feel living together is too soon, or that talking about marriage is too soon?”
She had always been open-minded; at Ning Yuxuan’s age, she didn’t oppose premarital cohabitation.
But she needed to clarify things.
This question left Ning Yuxuan at a loss.
She had kept the matter of registering their marriage a secret from her mother from the very beginning, but if possible, she wanted to avoid telling more lies.
One lie would require countless others to cover it up, and Ning Yuxuan was starting to understand this now.
After a moment’s thought, Ning Yuxuan asked Ning Fei, “Mom, if you were to give me advice from your experience, would you suggest I get married?”
Ning Fei was slightly taken aback. After a few seconds of thought, she answered softly, “Marriage is when two people’s feelings reach a certain point and they mutually decide to take the next step together. I can’t give you advice because only the two of you truly understand what that feels like.”
Ning Yuxuan hesitated, “But…”
Ning Fei looked at her daughter and suddenly smiled. “Are you asking if, because my own marriage didn’t end well, I would advise you against getting married?”
It had been nearly twenty years since Ning Fei divorced her husband. Now, when she spoke of that chapter in her life, the pain and struggle had long since faded away.
Her expression was calm as she said this.
Still, this was the first time the mother and daughter had talked about this topic.
They rarely had heart-to-heart conversations before; Ning Yuxuan had never asked such questions, and Ning Fei wouldn’t bring it up on her own.
Ning Yuxuan nodded.
Ning Fei looked at her daughter gently. “Marriage is like drinking water—only you know if it’s warm or cold. I won’t stubbornly assume you’ll repeat my mistakes just because my marriage failed. No matter whether you get married or not, I will always be your support.”
Many years ago, Ning Fei had ventured into the entertainment industry alone. Not only did she have to support herself, but she also had to repay her father’s debts.
Because of this, she became financially independent early on, but that didn’t mean her mindset was mature enough at the time.
So when she met Lin Yuanfeng, she was quickly swept away by his passionate pursuit and chose to leave the industry to marry into the Lin family.
The lack of familial love during her childhood made her crave affection too deeply, believing that marrying Lin Yuanfeng would give her the family and stable happiness she had always dreamed of.
But later, reality proved otherwise. Ning Fei’s life had no way out—once she made her choice, even if it was wrong, she had to bear the consequences herself.
But her daughter was different.
The Ning family’s wealth, and her mother, were always her daughter’s safety net.
Ning Yuxuan gently stroked her daughter’s silky long hair. “So, Xuanyuan, don’t worry about making your decision. Mom will always be here for you.”
Ning Yuxuan’s daughter leaned half against Ning Fei’s shoulder and softly replied, “Mm.”
“Mom.” After a moment, Ning Yuxuan straightened up and asked, “Can I ask you one more question?”
Ning Fei answered softly, “Of course.”
Ning Yuxuan asked, “If... if life gave you a chance to start over, would you still choose to get married and have children?”
Without hesitation, Ning Fei said, “Definitely.”
Ning Yuxuan was surprised. “Why?”
She had expected her mother to say no, or at least hesitate for a long time.
Although her mother had come to terms with it now, Ning Yuxuan knew that Ning Fei had gone through a very painful period during and after her marriage and divorce.
Ning Fei looked at her daughter and smiled. “Silly girl, because if I hadn’t gotten married and had children, there wouldn’t be you.”
Ning Yuxuan was momentarily stunned.
Ning Fei’s gaze was warm and steady. “Having you as my daughter is the greatest meaning behind all those years of marriage I went through.”
In an instant, a bittersweet feeling welled up in Ning Yuxuan’s throat.
Determined not to cry, she teased her mother, “You can’t let Ning Shiyue hear that, or he’ll definitely start complaining that you’re biased.”
Ning Fei couldn’t help but laugh. “Both you and Xiao Yue are the best gifts heaven ever gave me.”
Ning Yuxuan blinked. “But I’m still the more special one, right?”
Ning Fei gently tapped her daughter’s nose. “You know the answer, why even ask!”
……
Early Monday morning, Ning Fei had an appointment to meet with the screenwriting teacher and left first.
Before leaving, she reminded her daughter, “Xuanyuan, if you’re going to Huayuan today, have Uncle Li drive you.”
Ning Yuxuan had just gotten up and finished washing up.
One of the benefits of working for the family company was the flexible schedule. If there were no meetings, she could go to the office later or even work from home.
She asked her mother, “Mom, aren’t you letting Uncle Li drive you?”
In the past, Ning Yuxuan mostly stayed home except for occasional dates. Ning Shiyue had a company car, so having just one driver, Uncle Li, was enough for the family.
Later, when Ning Yuxuan started managing Huayuan, mother and daughter inevitably had to go out at the same time sometimes.
But it wasn’t easy to find a trustworthy driver who knew the family well, so they still only had one driver for now.
Since Ning Fei had gotten her driver’s license but rarely drove, if both mother and daughter needed to go out, Ning Yuxuan would let Uncle Li prioritize driving her mother while she drove another car herself.
Ning Fei looked in the mirror, smoothing her lipstick evenly, and smiled at her daughter. “No need. It just so happens that Jihuai is running errands near here, so he’s giving me a ride.”
Ning Yuxuan blinked slowly. “Oh, okay then.”
Ning Fei waved at her daughter with a smile on her lips. “Mom’s off now.”
Ning Yuxuan watched her mother’s retreating figure, deep in thought.
Liang Jihuai, a veteran actor in the entertainment industry, a two-time Best Actor winner, and an old colleague of her mother’s.
Ning Yuxuan’s intuition told her that the relationship between her mother and this acclaimed actor Liang might be somewhat unusual—in other words, it was possible that he was pursuing her mother.
Ning Yuxuan never doubted her mother’s charm. Her mother was beautiful and gentle by nature; it was impossible for her not to have admirers.
Although Ning Fei rarely talked about these things with her children and had never brought a boyfriend home, Ning Yuxuan knew that her mother had been in a relationship during the time she was just starting university.
For some unknown reason, before Ning Yuxuan even graduated, her mother and that boyfriend had broken up. To this day, Ning Yuxuan had no idea what that man looked like.
Later on, she heard that other men had also pursued her mother, but it seemed her mother hadn’t accepted anyone since.
If her mother really wanted to start a new romance, Ning Yuxuan was completely supportive.
Of course, it was also possible she was just overthinking things. Since her mother hadn’t mentioned anything, Ning Yuxuan saw no need to ask.
After breakfast, Ning Yuxuan headed to the headquarters of Huayuan to work in the office.
Unless there were other plans, Ning Yuxuan preferred working at the office—it was more efficient, and the commute from home wasn’t far.
The whole morning flew by with work. Around noon, as Ning Yuxuan was halfway through her takeout lunch, the hotel’s deputy general manager, Zhou Lin, knocked on her office door.
The company had long maintained a fixed furniture supplier responsible for managing the annual wear and replacement of Huayuan’s furniture.
Their cooperation had been smooth over the years, and with the new store opening, there was no reason to change suppliers. The management team had unanimously agreed to continue working with the same vendor.
Currently, the new store was undergoing renovation, and the furniture hadn’t arrived yet, but the process was steadily moving forward. The contract was nearly finalized—just one last detail needed to be settled.
However, Zhou Lin came with unexpected news: the furniture supplier had suddenly changed their mind and demanded a 10% price increase before signing the contract.
In the past, when emergencies like this occurred, Zhou Lin and Chen Jun would discuss a response plan and then report to Ning Fei, who would make the final decision.
But now, Ning Fei intended to gradually transfer management authority to Ning Yuxuan and step back completely.
So, as soon as Zhou Lin got the news, she came straight to Ning Yuxuan to discuss it.
“This matter involves furniture supply for all the new stores and is very important,” Zhou Lin said. “I’m scheduling a meeting in half an hour so we can discuss how to handle it with the others.”
Ning Yuxuan glanced at her watch—it was a quarter past one.
“Two o’clock then,” she said. “That way, it won’t cut into everyone’s lunch break.”
Zhou Lin couldn’t help but smile wryly.
She wasn’t sure whether Ning Yuxuan simply hadn’t grasped the seriousness of the situation yet or was just naturally fearless.
Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, “It’s not like the store opens this afternoon or the staff are striking this morning. Even if it’s urgent, we can afford to wait fifteen minutes. Don’t you think?”
Zhou Lin relented. “Alright, two o’clock it is.”
She sent out the meeting notice on the work platform, informing several members of the management team to gather promptly at two.
Ning Yuxuan had only eaten half of her lunch.
But she knew Zhou Lin was impatient. Since she was already here, sending her back to wait would only make her uncomfortable.
Ning Yuxuan raised her hand slightly. “Aunt Zhou, please have a seat. You can talk me through the situation while I eat.”
Zhou Lin was more than happy to oblige and immediately sat down opposite Ning Yuxuan.
“Our company, Huayuan, has been working with this factory as our furniture supplier for the past five years,” Zhou Lin began. “We’ve never encountered any issues before, so when they suddenly raised their prices this time, I immediately asked for an explanation.”
Ning Yuxuan nodded as she popped a piece of greens into her mouth, signaling for Zhou Lin to continue.
Zhou Lin said, “I expected them to say it was due to rising raw material costs or labor fees. But unexpectedly, they bluntly told me that another buyer had offered a higher price to purchase their existing stock.”
Ning Yuxuan frowned slightly.
Zhou Lin went on, “So, if they were to supply us at the original agreed price, they want us to pay an additional ten percent to compensate for the potential losses caused by refusing the new buyer.”
As she spoke, a look of indignation flashed across Zhou Lin’s face, clearly disgusted by this excuse.
Sure enough, the next moment Zhou Lin cursed, “How shameless! They’re the ones who breached the contract first, yet they expect us to cover their losses.”
After Zhou Lin finished venting, Ning Yuxuan calmly responded, “There’s nothing we can do. Since the order hasn’t been signed yet, legally they haven’t breached the contract.”
“Of course I know that,” Zhou Lin said. “But Huayuan has worked with them for so long. We always paid deposits promptly, and settled the final payment as soon as the goods arrived. I never thought they’d try to sabotage us now.”
Ning Yuxuan didn’t join in the cursing. Instead, her attention was caught by something Zhou Lin said earlier. “Did they say who the buyer offering the higher price was?”
Zhou Lin was momentarily surprised. “Oh, they actually told me. I thought they wouldn’t, but strangely, they did—it was—”
Ning Yuxuan interrupted, “The Gu family?”
Zhou Lin: “...Yes.”
She stared at Ning Yuxuan, sensing something was off. “How do you know?”
Ning Yuxuan took a sip of water and answered slowly, “Because, like you said, logically they shouldn’t have disclosed the new buyer’s information. The only reason they would tell us is if they wanted us to know.”
Zhou Lin pondered for a moment. “You mean someone in the Gu family wants to use this to pressure us? But why?”
There were many large chain hotels in Beicheng. It made no sense for them to target a relatively small chain like Huayuan.
Ning Yuxuan said, “Because I have a grudge against the Gu family.”
More precisely, against Gu Yunhao.
In the original story, Huayuan’s eventual bankruptcy was orchestrated by Gu Yunhao himself.
However, according to the original plot, Gu Yunhao acquired four new stores, gaining the Gu family’s approval and gradually seizing more influence, ultimately swallowing up Huayuan completely.
Now that she had taken the lead, Gu Yunhao had no choice but to find another way to give her trouble.
Hearing this, Zhou Lin looked at Ning Yuxuan hesitantly, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Ning Yuxuan smiled, “Aunt Zhou, are you trying to say, how did I end up with such a big problem?”
Zhou Lin was speechless.
She gently replied, “The trouble is indeed quite serious.”
After a pause, Zhou Lin added, “But since it’s already happened, let’s discuss how to solve it in the meeting later.”
Ning Yuxuan smiled warmly, “Thank you, Aunt Zhou.”
She couldn’t bring herself to explain to Zhou Lin that no matter what she did, Hua Yuan was inevitably going to clash with Gu Yunhao.
The storyline dictated it—whether she begged Gu Yunhao to reconcile like in the original novel or broke up with him as she was doing now, this confrontation was unavoidable.
But now, having foreknowledge of the plot, with Xie Zhiyan as her “backer” and Lin Yuanfeng’s assurances, Ning Yuxuan was confident that Hua Yuan’s ending would not be like what was written in the original book.
At two o’clock, Hua Yuan’s General Manager Chen Jun, Deputy General Manager Zhou Lin, and several other members of management gathered for an emergency meeting to discuss the sudden situation.
Most people thought it best to agree to the price increase for now and wait until the new stores stabilized before terminating the partnership.
Although it was a bitter pill to swallow, a ten percent loss was still within Hua Yuan’s tolerable range.
The four new stores were going to be overhauled and reopened, with countless trivial matters to handle, so switching suppliers at this moment wasn’t a wise choice.
Besides, changing to a new manufacturer involved many complications, and the losses could end up exceeding that ten percent price difference.
However, Ning Yuxuan was firm in her decision—she wanted to change suppliers.
Besides the reasons she stated at the meeting, there was one thing only she knew in her heart.
Gu Yunhao was deliberately trying to irritate her this time, probably waiting for her to come to him.
If she gave in to Gu Yunhao’s wishes now, unless she started to submit to him from then on, these incidents would only increase.
What surprised Ning Yuxuan was Zhou Lin’s unwavering support for her at the meeting.
“I agree with General Manager Ning’s viewpoint,” Zhou Lin spoke up. “If we back down easily this time, it would signal to the outside world that Hua Yuan is a pushover, which is not good for the company’s future development. Our finances are still relatively strong; we can afford the potential losses, so there’s no need to compromise.”
When Ning Fei wasn’t around, Zhou Lin took the lead in addressing Ning Yuxuan as “General Manager Ning,” giving her full face.
In the end, under Zhou Lin’s insistence, even Chen Jun, who was originally against changing suppliers, relented.
The three with the highest authority, including Ning Yuxuan as the boss, reached a consensus, so the matter was naturally settled.
What remained was how to quickly find a new manufacturing partner.
After the meeting at Hua Yuan, Ning Yuxuan and Zhou Lin hurriedly prepared a document together.
At five in the afternoon, she went home to change into an evening gown and did her makeup for a dinner event.
When her relationship with Xie Zhiyan became public, she had added a few businessmen from Beicheng.
These people basically just wanted to get close to Xie Zhiyan through her; they weren’t genuinely interested in collaborating with Ning Yuxuan herself. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen to add her personal WeChat.
After adding a few people, Ning Yuxuan stopped accepting friend requests to avoid pointless socializing.
If there was a real chance to cooperate, she could always add them later through her work account.
But now, Ning Yuxuan had changed her mind: it was still necessary to meet more people.
Take Mrs. Wu, for example. Her husband owned several furniture factories — something Mrs. Wu had mentioned when introducing herself on WeChat.
A few days ago, Mrs. Wu had sent Ning Yuxuan an invitation to a dinner party. Ning Yuxuan had hesitated about whether to go, but now there was no way she could miss it.
After putting on her makeup, Ning Yuxuan asked Uncle Li to drive her to the banquet hall.
Originally, Ning Yuxuan had some worries. Even though she held an invitation, there was no guarantee she would get to meet the people she wanted to see.
But as soon as she entered the hall, Mrs. Wu recognized her immediately.
Mrs. Wu had recently been the talk of the ladies’ group chat, thanks to the exclusive gossip she had about Xie Zhiyan and Ning Yuxuan.
Seeing Ning Yuxuan, Mrs. Wu warmly rushed over to greet her.
“Oh my, isn’t this Miss Ning Yuxuan?” Mrs. Wu beamed. “I didn’t expect you to actually honor us with your presence at our dinner.”
Her tone was so familiar, as if they had met many times before.
Of course, from Mrs. Wu’s perspective, she already felt very familiar with Ning Yuxuan.
Out of curiosity about what kind of person Ning Yuxuan was—someone who had managed to win over the seemingly unapproachable Xie Zhiyan—Mrs. Wu had researched her background and even watched all the variety shows Ning Yuxuan had appeared on.
After watching, Mrs. Wu realized that this young woman’s personality was quite to her liking.
After Ning Yuxuan explained the situation clearly, Mrs. Wu first expressed solidarity, then promised without hesitation that she would help solve the problem.
“That’s easy,” Mrs. Wu said. “I’ll take you to meet my husband, Mr. Wu. He’ll definitely agree.”
In truth, among the elite circles of Beicheng, people were amazed by Xie Zhiyan’s special treatment of Ning Yuxuan, but very few truly believed in the future of the two.
In this world, men could lavish a woman with affection, but when it came to interests and marriage, that was a completely different matter.
It was just because the man was Xie Zhiyan that their relationship attracted extraordinary attention.
But most people still believed that no matter how much Xie Zhiyan spoiled Ning Yuxuan now, he would never choose to marry her.
Therefore, no one seriously approached Ning Yuxuan’s side for collaboration.
Flattering her a little was fine, but when it came to investing real money to win her favor, the cost and gain simply didn’t add up.
But Mrs. Wu thought differently.
For some instinctive reason, Mrs. Wu felt that this Miss Ning really might end up with Xie Zhiyan for good.
So she was more than willing to facilitate the cooperation between her husband and Hua Yuan. After all, this wasn’t a difficult task for him. Even if Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan eventually broke up, her family wouldn’t suffer any significant losses.
Mrs. Wu took Ning Yuxuan to meet her own husband, Wu Shangdong.
The furniture factory was just one of Wu Shangdong’s many business ventures, and the quantity of furniture Ning Yuxuan required was relatively small compared to the scale of the factories under his control.
This favor was a simple matter for Wu Shangdong.
With his wife’s recommendation, along with the clear and detailed information Ning Yuxuan provided—and considering she herself spoke eloquently and with poise—Wu Shangdong quickly agreed and even offered a comparatively favorable price.
Lower than the previous supplier.
After expressing her gratitude to Wu Shangdong several times, Ning Yuxuan went alone to the dessert table to grab a bite.
She had been in too much of a rush when she arrived and hadn’t had time to fill her stomach.
Ning Yuxuan was contemplating whether to take this opportunity to meet more people, laying the groundwork for potential future collaborations.
A familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall, glancing around.
Gu Yunhao.
Ning Yuxuan frowned, instinctively sensing that he was looking for her.
After a moment’s thought, she decided not to hide.
If Gu Yunhao had come specifically to find her, failing to find her here would only mean he’d chase her elsewhere.
Better to settle things here and now.
After searching for a while, Gu Yunhao finally locked eyes with Ning Yuxuan.
Like a predator spotting its prey, the man immediately quickened his pace and approached.
“Ning Yuxuan,” Gu Yunhao said as he stopped in front of her, his expression haughty, tinged with a subtle sense of triumph. “So, you came here to sort out the supplier issue, right?”
Ning Yuxuan’s expression was indifferent. “You deliberately sabotaged the contract between the factory and Hua Yuan just to show off in front of me?”
Gu Yunhao didn’t expect Ning Yuxuan to remain so calm.
In recent days, besides dealing with his own affairs, he had been scheming on how to trip her up.
He had discovered that the furniture factory cooperating with Hua Yuan had business ties to the Gu family.
So, as the eldest grandson of the Gu family, Gu Yunhao had arranged a meeting with them, convincing the factory to raise the prices for Ning Yuxuan’s side and then find ways to delay delivery.
At first, the factory was reluctant because Ning Yuxuan was Xie Zhiyan’s girlfriend.
But Gu Yunhao persuaded them.
The annual business volume between the Gu family and the factory was dozens of times greater than Hua Yuan’s, bringing substantial profits to the factory.
Meanwhile, Ning Yuxuan was just Xie Zhiyan’s girlfriend—who knew if they would break up one day?
Xie Zhiyan had invested in Hua Yuan mainly because he couldn’t resist Ning Yuxuan’s persistent coaxing, so he casually leaked some money.
In reality, Gu Yunhao’s influence within the family business didn’t necessarily guarantee control over the Gu family’s dealings with the factory.
But the factory trusted Gu Yunhao’s confident assertions. After weighing the situation, they concluded that Hua Yuan was indeed too small a client to risk offending the Gu family by maintaining their cooperation.
If Xie Zhiyan truly valued Ning Yuxuan as his girlfriend, then why didn’t he just hand her the management of a subsidiary under the Xie Family? Instead, he only invested a small amount of money in a hotel owned by her mother.
The funds Xie Zhiyan put into Huayuan were, frankly, just a drop in the bucket compared to the assets under the Xie Family’s name.
This clearly shows that Xie Zhiyan wasn’t that serious about Ning Yuxuan after all.
After weighing the pros and cons, the manufacturer finally agreed.
Gu Yunhao had come to the banquet tonight on purpose.
He had orchestrated the manufacturer’s breach of contract with Huayuan for two reasons: first, to make things difficult for Ning Yuxuan, and second, as a way to test her.
Ning Yuxuan’s presence at the banquet only confirmed his suspicions—
Xie Zhiyan wasn’t as invested in Ning Yuxuan as the rumors suggested. Otherwise, he would have easily helped her resolve this matter instead of leaving her to figure it out on her own.
Wu Shangdong was notorious for being a seasoned operator.
Ning Yuxuan had only been in the business world for a short while. Without Xie Zhiyan’s backing, there was no way she could have handled Wu Shangdong with just a few words.
Gu Yunhao wanted to see Ning Yuxuan’s defeat, but more than that, he wanted to see her regret it and then grovel to him.
In Gu Yunhao’s eyes, Ning Yuxuan’s cold demeanor was just a front.
“Ning Yuxuan,” Gu Yunhao said, nostrils flaring, “If you’re having second thoughts, say a few nice words now. Maybe I can help you negotiate with the manufacturer to keep the original price. A ten percent difference might not seem like much, but for your family’s little hotel, it’s a significant loss, isn’t it?”
…
When Ning Yuxuan remained silent for a long moment, Gu Yunhao frowned. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
She glanced at him and replied, “Are you done talking?”
