A week later, the fifth episode of the reality show Dearest Mom aired on schedule at Saturday morning.
A day before the broadcast, the show’s official social media account began promoting the upcoming episode.
@DearestMomSeason2: Episode 5 is about to begin! This week’s theme is: Mom and Daughter’s Friends. Which "good friends" are you looking forward to seeing on the show? Leave your guesses in the comments! Let’s get ready to meet the moms and daughters again! @NingFei @NingYuxuan @QinMan @JiangNing'an
Over the course of the two-day recording, the production team would invite several friends of the main cast to join the live broadcast.
Of course, the definition of "friend" was entirely up to the show’s discretion.
Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan were informed that the first day of the new episode would be filmed in their own home, with a few guest stars dropping by for a visit.
Since the theme was "friends," the guests would all be people Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan knew—though their identities would remain a surprise until the day of filming.
Though Ning Fei had retired from acting years ago, her decade-long career in entertainment had left her with plenty of connections in the industry. Many of her former colleagues were still active in film and television, and some even made regular appearances on variety shows.
Ning Yuxuan, on the other hand, had little prior involvement with the entertainment world before joining Dearest Mom. Most of her friends were ordinary people outside the industry.
Given the show’s preference for high-profile guests, Ning Yuxuan assumed the visiting stars would likely be her mother’s friends.
But she wasn’t particularly concerned about who would show up.
What caught her attention was the phrase "filmed at home"—which meant she could sleep in.
After sending that photo to Xie Zhiyan and receiving no reply, she tossed her phone onto the bedside table, hugged her blanket, and drifted off to sleep.
At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Ning Yuxuan was woken by her alarm.
She freshened up in the bathroom, changed into a comfortable dress, and stepped out of her bedroom to find the crew already setting up cameras in the living room.
Ning Fei handed her a bag of steamed buns as soon as she came downstairs.
"Wang heard you liked these, so she brought them especially for you."
Wang, a recent graduate working in the director’s team, was assigned to Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan’s filming unit. Over the past few episodes, she had gotten along well with them.
Ning Yuxuan accepted the buns with a word of thanks.
"No problem, Yuxuan!" Wang grinned. "We’ve got about fifteen minutes before recording starts, so take your time eating."
As a new hire, Wang’s salary wasn’t high, but thanks to Dearest Mom’s soaring popularity, her bonus last month had already surpassed her base pay.
While the show’s success couldn’t be credited to any single person, Ning Yuxuan’s contribution was undeniable.
The entire production team now treated Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan like their golden geese.
As she nibbled on the buns, Ning Yuxuan listened to the staff explain the day’s filming schedule.
Two guests—one in the morning, one in the afternoon—would visit the house to join the recording. Their identities were still under wraps.
The same arrangement applied to the other mother-daughter pair, Jiang Ning'an and Qin Man.
At exactly 10 a.m., the live broadcast began.
[It’s finally here! I’ve been waiting all week—this show is my lifeline now!]
[Time flies! Can’t believe we’re already at the second-to-last episode. I don’t want it to end!]
[Six episodes just isn’t enough! The show’s so popular—why not add a few more?]
After the opening remarks, the staff handed blindfolds to Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan.
Then, the first mystery guest entered from outside.
With her eyes covered, Ning Yuxuan could only rely on sound—the footsteps suggested either a woman or a very petite man.
"Our first guest is now standing in front of you," a staff member announced. "Next, we’ll play a little game to see if Ning Fei and Yuxuan can guess who it is."
The guest was first led to Ning Fei.
"Ning Fei," the staff said, "you can now feel the guest’s hands to determine if they’re someone you know."
Ning Fei nodded and extended her hand in a handshake gesture. "Hello."
The guest clasped her hand in return.
Ning Fei’s brows twitched slightly. "A girl?"
Per the rules, the staff didn’t confirm or deny.
But Ning Fei could tell—the hand was small and smooth-skinned, unmistakably a woman’s.
Had it been a man, she would’ve been more reserved. Since it wasn’t, she took her time tracing the contours of the guest’s hand.
"Time’s up—fifteen seconds," the staff said. "Ning Fei, do you think this is one of your close friends?"
After a brief pause, Ning Fei answered, "She feels quite young. I think she’s probably Yuxuan’s friend."
Staff: "Noted. We’ll hold off on revealing the answer for now. Ning Fei, you can take a short break. Next up—Yuxuan!"
The guest was guided to Ning Yuxuan.
Trusting her mother’s judgment, Ning Yuxuan didn’t hesitate to grab the guest’s hand, examining both the palm and the back thoroughly.
Once the fifteen seconds elapsed, the staff spoke again.
"Alright, both of you have now felt the guest’s hands. Next, each of you can ask one question to narrow down their identity. Ning Fei, you first."
After a moment’s thought, Ning Fei asked, "Is this guest Yuxuan’s friend?"
The staff confirmed it.
When it was Ning Yuxuan’s turn, she asked, "Is she my college classmate?"
Staff: "Yes."
The answer was obvious now.
For the final guess, Ning Yuxuan didn’t hesitate. "Tao You."
Once the blindfolds came off, both mother and daughter hugged Tao You warmly.
Back in college, Tao You had visited Ning Yuxuan’s home several times, so Ning Fei was familiar with her daughter’s close friend.
After the guessing game, the three were invited to sit on the living room sofa.
The staff prompted Ning Yuxuan to introduce the guest.
"This is Tao You," Ning Yuxuan said. "She was my college roommate and classmate—and my best friend."
Tao You waved at the camera, a little shyer than usual under the spotlight.
Following the introduction, Tao You presented a gift she had prepared in advance—another part of the show’s format, where every guest brought something for their hosts.
Tao You brought a crystal ornament, which she displayed to the camera before placing it in the Ning family's living room.
After presenting the gift, the staff announced the next segment.
"As Ning Yuxuan's friend, we invited you here today to share some lesser-known aspects of Yuxuan with the audience. So, the name of this next segment is—"
The staff held up a sign for the audience to see, which read: "Things Mom Doesn’t Know."
The meaning was obvious.
[I get it—this is basically a spill-the-tea segment!]
[Hahaha, the production team is clever. They’re about to expose Ning Yuxuan’s secrets right in front of Teacher Ning!]
The staff explained the rules: Tao You had to share three things about Ning Yuxuan that Ning Fei didn’t know.
Additionally, all three stories had to be confirmed by both Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei to pass the challenge.
Before the recording, the production team had only given Tao You a rough outline of the program, so she hadn’t known about this segment in advance.
Tao You looked at Ning Yuxuan for help. "Xuanxuan…"
Ning Yuxuan smiled and gave her an encouraging look. "It’s fine. My mom’s health is good—no heart conditions. Go ahead."
Ning Fei chuckled and shook her head beside them. "You silly girl, are you really hiding something big from me?"
Tao You fell into thought.
If there were things she knew but Ning Yuxuan’s mother didn’t, they had to be from their university days.
But coming up with three on the spot wasn’t easy.
After a moment of deliberation, Tao You spoke up: "Back in university, Xuanxuan and I once… spent an entire night at an internet café playing games."
Before she even finished, the director immediately cut to Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan’s reactions.
Ning Fei’s eyebrows shot up—clearly, the first revelation was far beyond what she’d expected.
Meanwhile, Ning Yuxuan blinked, casting a guilty glance at her mother.
[Hahaha, Teacher Ning genuinely didn’t see that coming—her expression says it all!]
[LOL, Ning Yuxuan’s reaction is killing me. That look is so familiar—it’s the same one my little brother gives my mom when he’s caught doing something wrong.]
[Wait, so even top students from A University go to internet cafés?!]
Before the staff could prompt them, Ning Fei couldn’t resist asking, "Xuanxuan, when did this happen?"
Ning Yuxuan cleared her throat. "Freshman year…"
At the time, Tao You had introduced her to an online game with a 2v2 mode.
One night, they were on a winning streak and were just a few points away from reaching the highest rank of the season.
But their dormitory’s lights shut off at 11 PM, so the two of them decided to sneak out to a nearby internet café.
Ning Yuxuan explained the whole story to her mother.
Ning Fei frowned. "How long is ‘an entire night’?"
Ning Yuxuan couldn’t quite remember herself. "Uh… from around 10 PM to 6 AM the next morning, I think?"
Ning Fei: "…"
[HAHAHAHA Ning Yuxuan, why are you so honest?! Couldn’t you have downplayed it a little?!]
[I’m dying—this is the first time I’ve seen gentle Teacher Ning look so serious.]
[Teacher Ning’s expression right now is exactly like my mom’s when she sees my exam scores, LOL.]
Ning Yuxuan quickly added, "We didn’t mean to stay out that late! But the dormitory gates closed at 11, and we were afraid the supervisor would scold us if we came back in the middle of the night, so we just stayed until morning."
Tao You chimed in weakly, "Also… the overnight package was way cheaper than paying hourly, so…"
Seeing Ning Fei’s deepening frown, Tao You hurriedly backtracked, "But Auntie, we only went that one time, I swear!"
Ning Yuxuan nodded vigorously. "Yeah, it was our first time at an internet café. We didn’t realize how smoky and noisy it’d be, so we never went back."
[Okay, I feel a little bad laughing, but their desperate explanations are hilarious.]
[This spill-the-tea segment is gold—keep it coming!]
Ning Fei was silent for a long moment before finally saying, "Xuanxuan, if you wanted to play games, you should’ve just brought Tao You home."
Ning Yuxuan: "I didn’t want to disturb your rest."
Ning Fei: "Then book a hotel room. You shouldn’t have gone to an internet café—those places are chaotic, and it wasn’t safe for two young girls. Thank goodness nothing happened."
Ning Yuxuan immediately agreed. "Got it! Mom, I promise I’ll never stay out overnight in unsafe places again."
[Wait, so Teacher Ning isn’t upset about her daughter pulling an all-nighter gaming—just the safety issue?]
[Teacher Ning is the ultimate cool mom! She even gave suggestions on where they should’ve gamed instead.]
[Welp, I’m the clown here. I thought even someone as open-minded as Teacher Ning would’ve banned gaming, but nope!]
With the internet café story out of the way, there were still two more revelations to go.
After racking her brain, Tao You finally recalled another one: "During sophomore year, a guy sent Xuanxuan breakfast every morning for two weeks… and I ended up eating all of it."
Ning Fei laughed and glanced at her daughter. "You never mentioned this one either."
Ning Yuxuan stuck out her tongue playfully. "Too many people chased me in university—I couldn’t possibly tell you about all of them."
The first time she’d been confessed to, she’d excitedly shared it with her mother.
But after a while, it became so routine that she stopped reporting every admirer.
Tao You elaborated, "This guy said he liked Xuanxuan and heard she loved steamed buns, so he insisted on delivering breakfast every morning. He’d just leave them at the dorm supervisor’s desk—Xuanxuan couldn’t even refuse."
Ning Yuxuan added, "But I never woke up early enough, and Tao You hates wasting food, so she ended up eating them."
Tao You sighed dramatically. "I just couldn’t stand seeing good buns go to waste, so I suffered through two weeks of the same breakfast. Thank heavens the guy eventually gave up—my taste buds were saved."
With two stories down, Tao You struggled to think of a third.
The staff eased the rules: "You can broaden the scope—just share any memorable moment involving you and Yuxuan, as long as Teacher Ning Fei doesn’t know about it."
With that hint, Tao You had a eureka moment. "Oh! I remember now. During our senior year, Xuanxuan’s younger brother Ning Shiyue had just blown up from a talent show. When he came to visit her at school, he wore a mask and hat to avoid being recognized by fans, but then…"
Here, Tao You glanced at Ning Yuxuan.
Ning Yuxuan took over the conversation: "In the end, he was mistaken by the school security as a suspicious person trying to sneak into the campus and almost got taken to the police station. I had to rescue him from the security office. He was so embarrassed that he made me promise not to tell you."
Ning Fei: "..."
[Wait, Ning Yuxuan's younger brother… isn’t that Ning Shiyue?]
[Hahaha what’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to be exposing Ning Yuxuan’s secrets? How did it shift to Ning Shiyue?]
[Ning Shiyue: Why am I always the one who suffers?]
[Just imagining Ning Shiyue being escorted by security to the office—I’m dying of laughter!]
[I can already picture the clickbait headlines: "Top Celebrity Nearly Arrested by Police—Shocking Reason Behind It!"]
The purpose of inviting the mothers and their daughters’ friends to participate in the recording was to showcase their lives from an outsider’s perspective.
After the revelation segment, Tao You shared many more stories about Ning Yuxuan’s university days.
At noon, the three of them had lunch together at home.
Each guest would only participate in half a day of filming, so after lunch, everyone bid farewell to Tao You.
Ning Fei smiled warmly. "Youyou, come visit us again sometime."
Tao You: "Of course, Auntie! Bye, Auntie! Bye, Yuxuan!"
After seeing Tao You off, everyone took a short break, and a brief advertisement played.
In the afternoon, another guest arrived at the house.
Following the same format as the morning session, the two participants were first blindfolded and had to guess the newcomer’s identity by touch.
Once the blindfolds were on, the new mystery guest appeared on the livestream.
The livestream instantly buzzed with excitement.
[??? Who is this celebrity? So handsome! How do I not know his name?!]
[Judging by his aura, maybe he’s not an entertainer? But his looks are definitely top-tier—better than 95% of male actors out there.]
[Be bold—make it 99%!]
[Three minutes—I need this man’s full profile!]
[So who is this guy? Could he be… Ning Yuxuan’s mysterious boyfriend?]
[Oh right! Didn’t Ning Yuxuan mention on the show before that she has a boyfriend? Is she using this episode to make it official?]
This time, Ning Yuxuan went first in the guessing game.
Blindfolded, she was guided by the staff to touch the guest’s hand.
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
If earlier, when she touched Tao You’s hand, she had to carefully analyze it before being 80% sure it was her…
This time, the moment she made contact, she knew exactly whose hand this was.
The sensation was all too familiar.
Just yesterday, this same person had held her hand countless times with those distinct, well-defined fingers.
Ning Yuxuan struggled to keep her expression neutral, not letting any hint of recognition show on camera.
What on earth had gotten into Xie Zhiyan? Why would he agree to appear on a variety show like this?
If they weren’t live on air, Ning Yuxuan would’ve outright asked him: Aren’t executives at your level supposed to maintain an air of prestige and mystery? Is appearing on a variety show really appropriate?
And more importantly—how could he not give her a heads-up about something this big?
They’d spent the entire day together yesterday, yet he hadn’t dropped a single clue.
The staff member beside them began a 15-second countdown.
Ning Yuxuan pretended to examine his hand for five seconds before trying to pull hers back—
But failed.
Xie Zhiyan tightened his grip subtly, refusing to let go.
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
The show was live! What was he trying to pull?
She discreetly exerted more force, and this time, he loosened his hold, allowing her to finally free her hand.
The staff member played along. "Yuxuan, any clues? Can you guess the identity of our mystery guest based on his hand?"
In the previous episode, Xie Zhiyan had personally arrived on set to pick Ning Yuxuan up.
Word spread fast—within a day, the entire production team knew Ning Yuxuan’s boyfriend was tall, strikingly handsome, and carried an extraordinary presence.
Later, the team traced Xie Zhiyan’s car and uncovered his identity, realizing he was none other than a prominent business magnate from Beicheng.
Upon learning this, the director immediately reached out to Xie Zhiyan, asking if he’d be willing to appear on the show.
With his looks and status, his participation would undoubtedly boost viewership and likely land the show several trending topics.
The only catch? The chances of someone like Xie Zhiyan agreeing to a lighthearted entertainment program were slim.
Yet, to their surprise, negotiations went smoother than expected, and Xie Zhiyan confirmed his appearance for Saturday afternoon.
Faced with the staff’s question, Ning Yuxuan paused for a second.
"No idea," she answered flatly. "Probably a man, but I can’t tell who exactly."
No way was she going to acknowledge Xie Zhiyan after he’d blindsided her like this.
If he wanted to flaunt their relationship on national television without warning, he’d have to do it alone.
The camera cut to Xie Zhiyan, whose lips curled slightly—triggering another wave of comments in the livestream.
[Ahhh that smile, that aura!!! He’s truly one of a kind—are we sure he’s not an actor?]
[Three minutes have passed, and the internet detectives are slacking—how has no one dug up his info yet?!]
[So is he Ning Yuxuan’s boyfriend or not? The suspense is killing me!]
[I’m guessing no—if they were a couple, she’d recognize him instantly. Like how I’d know my boyfriend’s hand anywhere.]
After Ning Yuxuan, it was Ning Fei’s turn to guess the guest’s identity.
Upon learning the guest was male, Ning Fei kept things proper, only briefly shaking his hand.
When time was up, she shook her head. "I don’t recognize him either."
The staff member said, "Then each of you can ask one question to help identify our guest."
Ning Yuxuan had already decided to play dumb. "I’d like to ask this gentleman’s age. Forty? Forty-five?"
[Hahaha Ning Yuxuan, could you be any less subtle? Asking about age is one thing, but jumping straight to middle-aged? Not worried about offending him?]
[He clearly doesn’t look that old—early thirties at most!]
Ning Fei asked, "Have I met this gentleman before?"
After the staff answered both questions, neither could pinpoint the guest’s identity.
Finally, the blindfolds were removed to reveal the answer.
At the sight of Xie Zhiyan, Ning Fei’s eyes widened in surprise. "Zhiyan?"
Realizing her daughter might not be willing to showcase her personal feelings on the show, Ning Fei suppressed her surprise and resisted the urge to immediately glance at Ning Yuxuan beside her.
Xie Zhiyan smiled and nodded. "Auntie Ning."
Ning Yuxuan glanced at Xie Zhiyan but remained silent, her expression unreadable.
The audience took note of their reactions.
[Ah, so is he Ning Fei’s friend? Seems like Ning Yuxuan doesn’t know him.]
[What a shame! I thought their visuals were a perfect match. He’s not her boyfriend after all?]
[My takeaway: Ning Yuxuan, how spoiled are you usually? How can you stay so indifferent to a guy this handsome?!]
[Maybe our Xuan-jie has met too many exceptional men. Who knows, her boyfriend might be even more stunning than him?]
The live chat buzzed with lively discussions. Meanwhile, some resourceful netizens finally uncovered the mysterious guest’s identity.
[Girls, he’s no ordinary guy—he’s a big shot!! Our show’s crew really has connections.]
[Just search "Xie Zhiyan" and you’ll see exactly how impressive he is!]
