Ning Yuxuan arrived at the villa entrance, meeting Ning Shiyue's slightly guilty gaze.
Being called out late at night, her tone was less than pleased. "Let's go?"
Ning Shiyue looked at her, hesitating to speak.
Ning Yuxuan tightened her coat and glanced at him casually. "What is it now?"
Ning Shiyue: "You... are wearing a nightgown?"
Before their trip, they had packed together. Though she now wore a trench coat over it, the fabric peeking out from the collar unmistakably belonged to one of the two nightgowns she had brought.
"Yeah," Ning Yuxuan replied matter-of-factly. "I was about to sleep, so of course I'm in a nightgown."
Ning Shiyue pressed his lips together. "Um... for the convenience store, do you want to change?"
Ning Yuxuan gave him a light, dismissive look. "What? Worried I'm not fashionable enough for you, Mr. Celebrity?"
Ning Shiyue immediately raised his hands in surrender. "No, that’s not what I meant at all! I just—" His gaze drifted down, lingering on her exposed calves for a second before he found an excuse. "I was afraid you’d be cold."
Ning Yuxuan let out an "Oh." "Don’t worry, I’m fine."
Ning Shiyue: "..."
After a brief hesitation, he took a deep breath and spoke with resignation. "Alright, let’s go then."
Ning Yuxuan shot him a puzzled glance. "Which convenience store? Lead the way."
Ning Shiyue nodded. "Follow me."
After walking behind him for two minutes, Ning Yuxuan sensed something was off.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" she asked. "This doesn’t lead to the beach, does it?"
The villa arranged by the production team was close to the shore, with a private beach less than ten minutes away on foot.
Ning Shiyue cleared his throat. "I’m sure. We’re almost there."
Ning Yuxuan: "...Fine."
Between the two of them, she was usually the one with a worse sense of direction, so she decided to trust him for now.
Another two minutes passed, and the beach was nearly within sight.
From a distance, Ning Yuxuan could see flickering lights along the shore—someone must have been hosting a nighttime party.
At some point, Ning Shiyue had shifted from walking ahead to matching her pace beside her.
She turned to him. "Hey, are you sure—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Ning Shiyue, standing over six feet tall, had vanished without a trace.
Before she could process what had happened, a familiar, magnetic voice sounded beside her ear.
"Yuxuan."
She froze.
The man’s deep voice carried a hint of amusement. "It’s me."
Ning Yuxuan blinked, stunned for a few seconds. "Xie..."
Before she could finish saying his name, her vision darkened as a soft kiss brushed the corner of her lips.
Her heart fluttered faintly.
"Close your eyes first?" His tone was calm. "I have a little surprise for you."
Ning Yuxuan batted her lashes, then obediently shut them after a pause.
"What kind of surprise?" she asked. "If you had Ning Shiyue trick me out here at this hour and it doesn’t impress me, I’ll be mad."
By now, she had grown accustomed to Xie Zhiyan’s affection, so she didn’t ask how he had made it here, whether he was tired, or if work had been interrupted.
She just wanted to savor the moment.
Xie Zhiyan sidestepped the question. "We’re almost there."
Ning Yuxuan quirked a smile. "Alright."
So it was the kind of surprise that needed suspense.
Holding her hand, Xie Zhiyan guided her forward.
To fully experience the surprise, Ning Yuxuan kept her eyes closed without peeking.
Walking blindly should have felt unsettling—she remembered a similar game from school where they had to trust a partner to lead them.
Even knowing there was no danger, she had struggled to relax, every step filled with tension.
Yet now, fingers intertwined with his, she felt an unfamiliar sense of security.
After another minute or so, his voice finally rumbled beside her. "Okay."
Ning Yuxuan: "Can I open my eyes?"
His response was another sudden kiss.
Perhaps because they were outside, Xie Zhiyan’s kiss lacked the usual intensity.
Instead, he was like a patient predator, savoring every inch of her lips with slow, deliberate tenderness.
With the sound of waves in the background, Ning Yuxuan soon grew dazed, heat spreading from where their lips met all the way to the tips of her ears.
A random thought crossed her mind: Good thing I took off my lipstick before leaving. If he’s going to devour me like this, he’d have swallowed it all by now.
The kiss didn’t last too long.
Just as Ning Yuxuan was about to lose her balance, her hands instinctively wrapping around the man's neck, he pulled away from her lips.
Ning Yuxuan slowly opened her eyes, her vision filled with Xie Zhiyan's strikingly handsome features up close.
Her head was still a little dizzy, and she couldn’t help but murmur, "Was this kiss... also part of the surprise?"
Xie Zhiyan chuckled softly.
"No," his voice was gentle yet carried an inexplicable allure. "It was me losing control."
Ning Yuxuan’s breath hitched.
She stood frozen for several seconds before finally remembering to take in their surroundings.
This stretch was a private beach, usually accessible only to guests of nearby hotels or resorts.
It was nearly 10 p.m., and the area was largely deserted.
Only now did Ning Yuxuan realize what the lights she had seen earlier actually were.
It wasn’t a party—instead, a wooden frame nearby was adorned with champagne-colored star-shaped string lights, their strands cascading down.
So, even from a distance, she had already caught a glimpse of the "surprise" in its blurred outline.
Looking down, she saw star-shaped lanterns scattered along the sand, stretching forward from her feet like a path paved with stars.
Warm yellow fairy lights lined the "path" on either side, as though the night sky had spilled its stars onto the beach.
Taking it all in, Ning Yuxuan’s eyes widened slightly before she unconsciously followed the illuminated trail forward.
Beneath the wooden frame, she was surrounded by even more stars.
They weren’t just scattered across the sand—they sparkled in her eyes too, bright and mesmerizing.
After a long pause, she suppressed the delight in her gaze and turned to the man beside her. "You’ve improved."
Xie Zhiyan raised a brow slightly.
Ning Yuxuan feigned seriousness. "Not as tacky as the last time with the flowers in the trunk."
The corner of Xie Zhiyan’s lips curved up as he drawled, "You seemed to like that tacky surprise quite a bit too."
Ning Yuxuan shot him a mock glare before breaking into a laugh.
"Fine, I admit it," she said, her lips quirking. "I’m a hopeless romantic. I love getting flowers, and I love surprises like this. Got a problem with that?"
Xie Zhiyan’s gaze softened. "Then let me indulge you in that forever, alright?"
Ning Yuxuan didn’t immediately grasp the weight of his words.
She blinked. "Do you even have another choice?"
Xie Zhiyan held her gaze intently.
The lights reflected in his eyes, something profound swirling in their depths.
Before Ning Yuxuan could react, he took her hand.
His fingers were cool against her skin, and she instinctively looked down.
A diamond ring slid onto her ring finger, settling snugly at the base.
Ning Yuxuan stared blankly at the new addition to her finger, taking several seconds to process its significance.
"Xie Zhiyan, you—"
He spoke before she could finish. "Yuxuan, will you?"
Ning Yuxuan fell silent.
She never imagined Xie Zhiyan would propose to her one day.
She had assumed that since they were already legally married, this step would be skipped.
So when he asked, her first reaction was stunned confusion, followed by self-doubt—had she misunderstood?
Ning Yuxuan exhaled and met Xie Zhiyan’s eyes for confirmation. "Will I what?"
Xie Zhiyan’s brow lifted before he let out an amused, resigned sigh.
A moment later, his expression turned solemn. "Yuxuan, will you marry me? Spend your life with me?"
After a beat, he added, "No expiration date."
Ning Yuxuan held his gaze, her pulse quickening belatedly.
Of course, at this point, she wouldn’t refuse.
But she wasn’t about to make it easy for him either.
Pressing her lips together, she put on an air of coyness, admiring the ring on her finger. "I’ll need to think about it."
Xie Zhiyan: "How long? Thirty seconds? A minute?"
Ning Yuxuan laughed. "Who proposes like that?"
His voice dropped lower. "Because I can’t wait for your answer."
As he spoke, he leaned in.
Ning Yuxuan turned her head slightly, so his lips brushed her cheek instead.
Giggling, she pushed at his chest. "I haven’t said yes yet."
Just then, several flashes of light streaked across her vision.
Ning Yuxuan squinted reflexively before searching for the source.
A figure emerged from the shadows—
Ning Shiyue raised a camera with a sheepish grin.
"Uh…" He scratched his head. "Sorry, did I jump the gun?"
...
Their flight back to Beicheng was scheduled for the afternoon, with the program’s live broadcast set for the morning.
The next day, as Ning Yuxuan stretched and stepped out of the bathroom after freshening up, she nearly collided with Ning Shiyue, who was pacing outside.
Ning Yuxuan shot him a glance and walked past him without a word.
Ning Shiyue froze for a moment before quickly catching up to her.
"Hey, Ning Yuxuan..." Ning Shiyue said awkwardly, "Don’t just walk away!"
Ning Yuxuan silently looked at him and continued to sidestep him, heading back to her bedroom.
Ning Shiyue steeled himself, took two quick strides, and blocked the doorway with a look of exaggerated determination. "About yesterday—I owe you an apology! I misjudged the timing and showed up too early."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
Ning Shiyue: "But! I wasn’t completely useless, right? Look, I took a bunch of photos for you two. Such an important moment—it’d be a shame if it wasn’t captured!"
He waved a few printed photos in his hand.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at them.
Seeing her hesitation, Ning Shiyue seized the opportunity. "I went to the shop first thing this morning to get them developed. Why don’t you take a look and see how they turned out? If you still want to be mad at me afterward, fine. Deal?"
Honestly, Ning Shiyue had never acted this desperate in his life.
But what could he do? His mistake had happened during his own sister’s proposal.
Not that he’d meant to mess it up.
At the time, he’d been hiding behind a beach umbrella, keeping his distance to avoid interrupting the moment. In the dim light, he could barely make out their movements.
He’d only vaguely seen the two of them step into the arranged circle of fairy lights and exchange a few words.
Then, it looked like Xie Zhiyan had slid a ring onto Ning Yuxuan’s finger.
Assuming this was the big moment, Ning Shiyue had hurried closer and snapped the shot.
Wasn’t that how it always went in dramas and videos?
The woman would gasp, cover her mouth in happy tears, and let the man slip the ring on her finger.
Then they’d embrace, friends would cheer, and the proposal would be a perfect success.
So why had Ning Yuxuan’s reaction been… different?
Knowing he was at fault, Ning Shiyue treaded carefully, even his breathing subdued, as he nudged the photos toward her. "Just take a look?"
Finally, Ning Yuxuan reached out and took them.
Ning Shiyue exhaled in relief, as if granted a pardon.
Ning Yuxuan carried the photos to her bed and sat down. After a beat, Ning Shiyue scurried after her.
Once inside, he studied her expression. When she didn’t kick him out, he cautiously settled beside her.
Then, under her silent stare, he inched away slightly.
Ning Yuxuan flipped through the photos.
They weren’t bad, actually.
Forget composition—what stood out was how candid they were.
Back in school, Ning Yuxuan had loved taking photos. Her and Ning Fei’s rooms were filled with framed portraits from countless photoshoots.
Snapshots from trips and gatherings with friends? Too many to count.
So she had plenty of polished, posed pictures.
But these photos Ning Shiyue had taken were spontaneous. The first one showed Xie Zhiyan kissing her cheek while she laughed and tried to push him away.
The second captured her flinching at the camera flash, instinctively raising a hand to shield her eyes as Xie Zhiyan steadied her with an arm around her waist.
Then there was the one where both of them turned toward the lens, searching for the culprit.
Each image instantly brought back the moment it had captured.
In a way, they were priceless.
The rest were a few posed shots of the two of them looking at the camera.
Though Ning Yuxuan had been startled by Ning Shiyue’s sudden appearance, she’d figured since he was already there—and the setting was so beautiful—she might as well let him take some proper photos of her and Xie Zhiyan.
Ning Yuxuan examined these.
The twinkling lights made for a dreamy backdrop, and the two of them holding hands looked sweet. But one thing stood out…
She frowned at her outfit in the photos.
Oblivious, Ning Shiyue chimed in, "So? Not bad, right? Even the guy at the print shop said—"
His words died under Ning Yuxuan’s glare.
"Wh-what’s wrong?" he stammered.
Ning Yuxuan rolled her eyes.
"Let me ask you something," she said. "If you knew I was going down there to get proposed to, why did you let me go out in a nightgown?"
Ning Shiyue felt wronged but kept his tone cautious to avoid further wrath. "Well… I did tell you to change. You refused."
Ning Yuxuan: "Because your excuse was terrible. Who dresses up to run to a convenience store in the middle of the night?"
"Fair point, but..." Ning Shiyue scratched his head. "I couldn’t come up with anything better!"
Ning Yuxuan: "Just say the production team added an impromptu segment and asked us to go down for photos, or that some fans came to ask for a group photo with me. Wouldn’t either of those work?"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
Admittedly, either option would have been better than the one he’d chosen.
He awkwardly replied, "I didn’t think of that. Well, next time I’ll definitely—"
Halfway through his sentence, Ning Shiyue realized his mistake.
When it came to proposals, there was no such thing as a "next time."
Ning Shiyue resigned himself. "I was wrong. Punish me however you want."
Ning Yuxuan stared at him.
Ning Shiyue cautiously met her gaze.
After a long pause, Ning Yuxuan spoke. "On the way back today, you’re responsible for carrying all the luggage."
Ning Shiyue’s eyes lit up.
Ning Yuxuan shot him a look. "I’m not finished yet."
"Next month when I move, you’ll willingly be my pack mule—no complaints allowed."
"For the next three months, dinner at home has to be all my favorite dishes. No grumbling."
...
Ning Yuxuan listed her demands one by one as Ning Shiyue listened attentively.
Finally, she added, "And when our wedding comes, put some real thought into your speech. If you mess that up too, I won’t be this forgiving next time."
The final day of the show’s live broadcast began at 10 a.m.
After shooing Ning Shiyue away, Ning Yuxuan changed out of her pajamas and prepared to apply light makeup.
She picked up a powder puff, about to even out her complexion, when her hand suddenly froze.
Just below her collarbone, near her chest, was a faint pink love bite.
Since this trip was meant to be a vacation, Ning Yuxuan had packed mostly resort-style dresses and summer clothes—all with low necklines.
She quickly ran through her remaining clean outfits and compared them to the mark’s position, arriving at a grim conclusion:
No matter which one she wore, it wouldn’t be hidden.
A scarf was out of the question—not only did she not bring one, but wearing one in this heat would only draw more attention.
Absentmindedly, Ning Yuxuan rubbed at the mark with her fingers, as if she could fade it away.
Her mind wandered back to how it got there in the first place—
After Ning Shiyue showed up and took a few photos, he must have sensed his unwelcome presence and slunk back to the villa.
That left just Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan alone on the beach.
At first, she complained to him about Ning Shiyue’s unreliable assistance.
Then she spent some time admiring the engagement ring on her finger.
The ring Xie Zhiyan proposed with wasn’t the one she’d originally picked out.
But it was clear he’d taken her taste into account—the new ring shared a similar design aesthetic and fit her perfectly.
Somehow, on that deserted beach, they ended up in each other’s arms again.
By the end, the only sounds in Ning Yuxuan’s ears were the crashing waves and their mingled breaths.
Things escalated quickly.
And what couldn’t be done—well, Xie Zhiyan had only stopped out of sheer willpower, despite Ning Yuxuan’s half-hearted protests.
Remembering the scene made her ears burn.
Even though it was late and unlikely anyone would wander onto that private stretch of shore…
He’d still been far too reckless.
That mark on her chest had definitely been his doing.
She rummaged through her makeup bag for concealer.
Ning Yuxuan’s skin was flawless, and she hadn’t needed concealer for breakouts lately.
Now, it finally had a purpose.
She dabbed some onto her fingertip and blended it over the mark, then lightly powdered the area to even out the tone.
After some effort, about 80% of it was hidden.
But under the show’s high-definition close-ups, there was still a chance it might be noticed.
Frowning, Ning Yuxuan scanned the items on the table—until her eyes landed on the ring box in the corner.
At 10 a.m., the livestream finally went live.
This was the last broadcast of Dear Mom, filmed just before the cast departed for the airport to return to Beicheng.
Countless viewers tuned in immediately, and as the screen lit up, all the guests reappeared for the farewell segment.
After the director’s sentimental speech, a final montage played—a compilation of highlights from the trailers and all six episodes.
Watching the clips, the audience realized just how much everyone had changed.
From the awkward, stilted greetings between the two mother-daughter pairs at the start…
Later, when Ning Fei and Qin Man met, they naturally embraced each other, while Ning Yuxuan and Jiang Ning'an posed for photos in matching pajamas.
The bond between each mother and daughter had clearly grown much closer compared to the beginning of the program.
Ning Yuxuan would now lean into Ning Fei's arms without hesitation, acting coquettishly, and Qin Man no longer held back her praise or acknowledgment of her daughter.
Ning Shiyue had also undergone a significant change—from being awkward and reserved around his family at the start to obediently following Ning Yuxuan's instructions to carry luggage by the final episode.
After the short film ended, the cameraman captured each guest's reaction one by one.
By the time the camera panned to Ning Yuxuan, the audience barely had a moment to take in her expression.
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to something else entirely.
Her hand rested lightly on her chest, and on her ring finger, a dazzling diamond the size of a pigeon's egg glimmered brilliantly.
