"I can't help but feel..." Ning Yuxuan studied the expression on the man's face before her, "that you seem quite pleased about us being caught on camera this time?"
Xie Zhiyan appeared far too composed, giving her the impression that he was almost welcoming the content now trending on social media.
If she didn't know better—that Xie Zhiyan would never stoop to such underhanded tactics—she might have suspected he’d hired the paparazzi himself.
After all, just a few hours ago, he’d asked her when she wanted to go public with their relationship.
Xie Zhiyan calmly denied it: "Not at all."
Ning Yuxuan eyed him skeptically. "Really?"
His voice remained steady. "Neither pleased nor displeased."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
For once, Xie Zhiyan offered an extra explanation. "In my view, going public was inevitable. The timing makes little difference."
After a brief pause, he asked, "What about you?"
Ning Yuxuan blinked. "What do you mean?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Are you unhappy about being photographed together?"
The question gave her pause.
She supposed she wasn’t.
If she’d truly been worried about being seen, she wouldn’t have so casually gone to a dessert shop and then a park with him.
Besides, Ning Yuxuan had no plans to stay in the entertainment industry.
After the explosive success of Dear Mom, even before the show finished filming, she and Ning Fei had been flooded with offers—not just for variety shows, but also for acting roles, including lead parts in several dramas.
In an era where popularity reigned supreme, even if her acting skills were lacking, her striking looks and current fame made her a hot commodity.
But Ning Yuxuan had already decided: once Dear Mom wrapped up, she wouldn’t accept any more variety show invitations or acting gigs.
Several new branches of Huayuan Hotel were set to open soon, and she intended to focus entirely on managing the business, dedicating herself to preserving her mother’s legacy.
In today’s fast-paced world, if she stayed out of the public eye for a few months, the hype would naturally die down. She wouldn’t have to worry about her relationship becoming a constant disruption to her life.
Having sorted through her thoughts, she answered Xie Zhiyan: "No, I’m not unhappy."
A faint glimmer flickered in his eyes. "Then why not take this opportunity to make it official?"
Ning Yuxuan narrowed her eyes.
"Are you sure you don’t have ulterior motives?"
Xie Zhiyan’s expression remained unreadable. "This way, the next time we’re photographed, people won’t make a fuss."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
That did make sense. She didn’t want a simple trip to a dessert shop to trend again.
But outright announcing their marriage was out of the question.
She hadn’t even told her family yet—there was no way she’d let her mother find out about her wedding through a social media post or gossip.
Ning Yuxuan murmured, "Then let’s just post on Weibo confirming we’re dating."
But drafting the announcement was another matter.
She wasn’t great with words—she hadn’t even updated her social media in ages.
Her fingers hovered over the text box, hesitating.
Countless clichéd captions for relationship announcements popped into her head, but they all felt too sentimental.
She glanced at Xie Zhiyan beside her. "Any ideas?"
He remained impassive. "Your Weibo, your call."
Ning Yuxuan frowned slightly.
After a moment, she switched to WeChat and opened her chat with Ning Shiyue.
Ning Yuxuan: We’re going public. Trying to come up with a caption—got any suggestions?
Given his years in the entertainment industry, surely he’d have more experience with this than she did.
Ning Shiyue replied almost instantly: ??? You’re really doing this?
Ning Yuxuan: I’ll be a dog if I’m lying.
Ning Shiyue: Hold on, let me think!
A few minutes of silence passed before he bombarded her with a flurry of messages—all variations of typical relationship announcements.
"He’s the only leading man in my life."
"The one I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived."
And so on.
Ning Yuxuan’s frown deepened.
They weren’t bad, but she had zero tolerance for sappiness. Just imagining herself posting something like that made her cringe.
Come to think of it, these didn’t sound like Ning Shiyue’s words at all.
Ning Yuxuan: Where’d you get these? Did you just copy-paste from the internet?
Ning Shiyue: …………
The string of ellipses confirmed her suspicion.
Ning Shiyue: Some are from online, others I asked around on set.
The crew was on a break, and Ning Shiyue had consulted a few colleagues for "good relationship announcement captions"—earning himself several stunned looks, as people assumed he was the one dating.
Ning Yuxuan typed back in disdain: Never mind. Useless. I’ll figure it out myself.
Ning Shiyue was indignant: I have zero experience! I’ve never even been in a relationship—how would I know how to announce one? If you ever need help debunking dating rumors, though, I’ve got plenty of material.
Ning Yuxuan laughed.
Fair point. Relationship announcements were beyond Ning Shiyue’s expertise.
Abandoning that avenue, she returned to Weibo—only to widen her eyes in surprise.
In the short time she’d been away, another trending topic had emerged.
#NingYuxuanAndXieZhiyanSquareDancing
Ning Yuxuan: "?"
She clicked into the tag and discovered that their evening stroll in the park had also been captured—this time in photos.
The original post came from an ordinary user, uploaded after the dessert shop video had already gone viral.
@XiaoDongWantsToGetRich: Saw this adorable couple at the park today and snapped a few pics. Turns out they’re famous?
The attached images showed the two dancing together.
In one, Ning Yuxuan held Xie Zhiyan’s hand, her skirt flaring mid-spin like something out of a fairy tale.
The dim evening light and golden sunset cast a dreamy, romantic glow over the scene.
The photographer had captured multiple shots, including one where Ning Yuxuan, mid-twirl, laughed up at Xie Zhiyan.
The tall, poised man gazed down at her with such intensity that even through the pixels, his adoration was palpable.
Comments flooded in, all variations of "This is too sweet!"
"I thought these were stills from a romance movie. Their chemistry is unreal!"
"With their looks and presence, they could be leads in any love story."
【Is Ning Yuxuan the runaway princess herself? The way her dress flutters in this shot is absolutely stunning!】
【I’m so envious of their shippers right now. Any shippers here willing to share how it feels to see your ship become real and shower everyone with sugar?】
【Hehe, it’s something you can’t put into words. Let’s just say this shipper has been grinning like an idiot all night—my face hurts from smiling so much.】
While everyone was busy fangirling over the sweetness, one sharp-eyed netizen spotted something unusual.
【Take a look at the second photo—aren’t they at a square dancing spot in the park?】
Only then did others notice that, in the background of the second photo, a few people seemed to be doing square dancing.
Due to the lighting and composition, most people’s attention had been immediately drawn to Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan at first glance.
But upon closer inspection, several figures could be seen in the background, all performing the same synchronized move—legs crossed, arms raised and waving.
【They really are! That’s a classic square dancing move.】
【And the setting looks like an open space in a park too.】
【I think I recognize this park—it’s the neighborhood one near my place! There are always people square dancing there in the evenings.】
【So… Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan were actually square dancing?】
With this new discovery, the comments quickly took a hilarious turn.
【No way! CEO Xie actually accompanied Ning Yuxuan to square dance? That’s next-level doting!】
【Ning Yuxuan: "Honey, I wanna square dance." Xie Zhiyan: "Say no more, on it."】
【LMAO this is too adorable. Dragging CEO Xie to square dance is totally something Ning Yuxuan would do.】
Ning Yuxuan, after reading the comments, felt indignant.
For one, they hadn’t actually joined the square dancing—they’d just spun around casually to the music.
But what really annoyed her was—
She glared at Xie Zhiyan. "Why does everyone assume I dragged you into this?"
Why couldn’t it have been Xie Zhiyan’s idea, with her reluctantly agreeing?
Xie Zhiyan remained unruffled. "Probably because square dancing suits your image better."
Ning Yuxuan: "…Meaning?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Beautiful, lively, full of energy."
Ning Yuxuan: "…"
Meeting his faintly amused gaze, she suspected he was just humoring her with sweet talk.
"No," Ning Yuxuan declared. "I’m setting the record straight."
Coincidentally, this also gave her the perfect idea for the official announcement post she’d been struggling with.
Soon, she finished drafting the caption and reposted the original fan’s tweet.
Ning Yuxuan V: The square dance moves were a bit tricky—I haven’t quite mastered them yet. Also, just to clarify, I wasn’t the one who suggested dancing. That was all the man beside me.
…
The original tweet had already been buzzing with discussions, steadily climbing the trending charts.
Ning Yuxuan’s repost instantly caught the internet’s attention.
The comments exploded.
【??? Wait, is this an official confirmation?】
【It HAS to be!! She reposted it herself, and she obviously saw the dating rumors too! No denial means confirmation!】
【Exactly! Silence equals admission! So they’re really together!】
【Come to think of it, she didn’t deny the engagement ring either! Are they actually engaged?!】
【I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said “they’re so perfect together” today!】
As Ning Yuxuan scrolled through the reactions, most were either shocked by the confirmation or gushing about how well-matched they were.
Others debated when the relationship had started and whether the engagement rumors were true.
She kept scrolling, but no matter how far she went, she couldn’t find what she was looking for.
Ning Yuxuan: "…Why is no one paying attention to my caption? I clearly said you were the one who suggested dancing!"
She shot Xie Zhiyan an aggrieved look.
Xie Zhiyan simply smiled and took her hand in a soothing gesture.
Ning Yuxuan: "…"
Fine. She supposed Xie Zhiyan’s dignified, mature CEO image was too deeply ingrained.
Honestly, if someone told her that Xie Zhiyan had gone square dancing, her first reaction would probably be, "No way."
---
In Jiangcheng, the film crew was gathered for lunch when Zhuang Yiming suddenly gasped.
Ning Shiyue side-eyed him. "What’s with the dramatics?"
Zhuang Yiming excitedly slapped Ning Shiyue’s shoulder. "Shiyue-ge, look! Yuxuan-jie just made it official! Check her Weibo—posted two minutes ago!"
Ning Shiyue feigned nonchalance. "I knew she’d post it. Didn’t I just tell you she asked me for caption ideas earlier?"
Yet even as he spoke, he was already pulling out his phone, opening Weibo, and navigating to Ning Yuxuan’s profile.
Seeing her post, his lips quirked up.
Yep. That was so Ning Yuxuan.
After a moment’s thought, he quietly hit "repost."
Soon, netizens noticed Ning Shiyue had also shared Ning Yuxuan’s "announcement" tweet.
This only added more fuel to the fire.
【Wow, even Ning Shiyue reposted it! Is this like… family approval?】
【Now that I think about it, Ning Shiyue’s been in filming lockdown lately, and his recent posts are all about his sister.】
【So this means he’s giving his blessing to the relationship—and to Xie Zhiyan as his future brother-in-law, right?】
【LMAO I can’t help but remember all their bickering moments from the show. Let’s be real—even if Ning Shiyue wanted to object, Ning Yuxuan would shut him down instantly.】
Not long after Ning Shiyue’s repost, another account—an official one—shared the same tweet.
Hengjiang Group’s corporate account.
This account usually posted formal updates about the company or occasional photos of Xie Zhiyan at events.
This repost, nestled among serious business content, stood out like a sore thumb.
Netizens quickly caught wind of it and flooded the comments.
【!!! This has to be Xie Zhiyan’s doing. Official verification +1】
【Hahaha they actually used the company account! Is this the corporate world’s way of acknowledging the future CEO’s wife?!】
【Well, since CEO Xie doesn’t have a personal Weibo, guess they had to borrow the company’s.】
【I’m starting to believe the engagement rumors! If things weren’t already settled, no way would Xie Zhiyan let the company account repost this.】
【This is so awesome! I’m already looking forward to the wedding!】
...
Inside the car, Ning Yuxuan stared at the latest trending topic, unsure of what to say.
Xie Zhiyan had reposted her post without her consent—fine, she could let that slide.
But when had the man sitting beside her found the time to have the official Weibo account of Hengjiang Group repost her post?
When Ning Yuxuan first saw it, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"Xie Zhiyan," Ning Yuxuan turned to him, "When did you arrange for them to repost it? I had no idea."
His tone was calm and unruffled. "While you were racking your brain over the caption earlier."
Ning Yuxuan thought back—when she had asked Ning Shiyue for caption suggestions, Xie Zhiyan had indeed been replying to messages beside her.
At the time, she assumed he was handling work matters.
Ning Yuxuan: "...What exactly did you tell them?"
Xie Zhiyan: "I had Liu Cheng inform the operations team to repost your latest Weibo update."
Ning Yuxuan: "You didn’t even wait for me to post it first? What if I’d written something that could damage your image? Would you still have had them repost it?"
Xie Zhiyan’s brow lifted slightly, his gaze turning meaningful. "What kind of content were you planning to post that would damage my image? Enlighten me."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
Her question had been completely serious, but the way he phrased it made it sound like she’d been considering something inappropriate.
"That’s not the point," Ning Yuxuan said. "The point is, you didn’t even review it before having them repost it."
Xie Zhiyan chuckled lightly. "We’re husband and wife—one entity. Once you posted it, whether I reposted it or not, my image was already tied to yours. What difference does it make?"
...
In the Gu family’s ancestral home in Beicheng, Gu Yunhao stared at the words on his screen, gripping his phone so tightly it might shatter.
For days, he had been silently keeping tabs on Ning Yuxuan.
Before their breakup, he had barely glanced at her Weibo, even when she begged him to like her posts—he always made excuses, unwilling to publicly associate with her.
But now, every time he heard news about her, he was the first to check.
Not out of love, but pride and possessiveness.
He still hadn’t seen her regret leaving him, hadn’t witnessed her crawling back to him in desperation.
The last time Ning Yuxuan and Cen Meng clashed online, Gu Yunhao had held onto a sliver of hope.
If Ning Yuxuan had truly been crushed by the scandal, maybe she would have come begging for his help.
After all, Cen Meng had once been under his protection.
But Cen Meng, as usual, had proven useless—utterly incapable of making an impact.
It only reinforced Gu Yunhao’s belief that dumping her had been the right decision.
Now, seeing Ning Yuxuan openly flaunting her relationship with Xie Zhiyan, Gu Yunhao’s chest burned with frustration.
Why hadn’t Xie Zhiyan dumped her yet?
It had been over a month—wasn’t he bored?
And now, he’d even had the official account of his conglomerate repost Ning Yuxuan’s Weibo.
A thought surfaced, one Gu Yunhao refused to accept:
Could Xie Zhiyan actually be serious about her? Were the rumors true—had they really gotten engaged, with plans to marry?
No. Absolutely impossible.
No matter how beautiful or alluring Ning Yuxuan was, she wasn’t from an old-money family like his.
The Ning family might be wealthy compared to ordinary households, but they were nothing compared to the Gus.
Even as the eldest grandson of the Gu family, he had considered marrying her beneath him—how could Xie Zhiyan, of all people, tie himself to a woman so far beneath his station?
Gu Yunhao refused to believe it.
He reread Hengjiang Group’s repost, convincing himself: No, it couldn’t be.
It was just an official account reposting—nothing more than a tactic to keep a woman happy.
Only ignorant netizens would treat a meaningless Weibo post as gospel, interpreting it as some grand declaration that she was the future Mrs. Xie.
Ridiculous.
Gu Yunhao exhaled a slow stream of smoke, closing his eyes.
He didn’t need to worry.
Xie Zhiyan’s gestures were superficial—taking half a day to appear on a show with her, having the company account repost something to stroke her ego.
When it came to real stakes, Xie Zhiyan had never lifted a finger for her.
The supplier incident was proof enough.
Xie Zhiyan hadn’t intervened then—Ning Yuxuan had just gotten lucky, somehow convincing that old fox Wu Shangdong.
Meanwhile, his own plans were progressing smoothly.
Though Cen Meng herself was useless, her advice had been somewhat helpful.
His collaboration with Lin Yuanfeng had saved him a fortune.
Everything was in place—once the equipment Lin Yuanfeng promised arrived, his hotel could finally open.
When his parents saw what he’d accomplished, they’d change their tune, pouring more resources into his ventures.
With his father’s backing, he’d make sure Ning Yuxuan’s Hua Yuan suffered a devastating blow.
The only problem was...
Gu Yunhao stubbed out his cigarette, irritation gnawing at him.
Despite his smooth discussions with Lin Yuanfeng, the contract kept getting delayed.
From their initial verbal agreement to now, the timeline had stretched far beyond what was reasonable.
He’d kept the collaboration a secret, wanting to surprise his parents once everything was finalized.
Only his assistant knew, and the man was loyal enough to keep quiet.
Gu Yunhao picked up his phone, hovering over Lin Yuanfeng’s number.
After a long pause, he pulled back.
His assistant had followed up just three days ago—pushing again now, at night, might annoy Lin Yuanfeng.
Better to wait until tomorrow.
...
At around 9 PM, the streets of Beicheng were still bustling.
Xie Zhiyan’s car pulled into the villa district, stopping at the intersection.
Ning Yuxuan said goodbye at the door.
Xie Zhiyan pressed a light kiss to the corner of her lips—soft, devoid of desire.
As he pulled away, Ning Yuxuan’s lashes fluttered, her gaze lingering on him with faint dissatisfaction.
As if asking: That’s it?
Xie Zhiyan read her expression, amusement flickering in his eyes.
His voice was slow and deep, laced with implication: "You've already worn me out once this afternoon. If we go for another round tonight, I might not be able to resist... bundling you up and taking you home with me."
