Ning Feixuan was caught off guard by Xie Zhiyan's suggestion and froze for a moment before responding.
The car happened to stop at the entrance of the villa complex, where a uniformed security guard approached.
The management in the gated community was strict—unregistered vehicles needed to be checked in before entering.
The residents here were all well-off, but even when faced with Xie Zhiyan’s luxury car, the guard strictly followed protocol.
The registration form required several details, and the driver took his time filling it out.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the man beside her. "Should we just walk from here?"
After some thought, she realized Xie Zhiyan’s suggestion wasn’t unreasonable.
But before meeting her mother, they needed to get their stories straight.
Xie Zhiyan replied indifferently, "Fine."
They stepped out of the car one after the other. Hesitating, Ning Yuxuan began, "President Xie..."
Walking beside her, Xie Zhiyan pointed out the flaw in her words with a detached tone. "Do you plan on calling me that in front of your mother too?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
"I’ll change it once we’re inside," she retorted, refusing to admit her slip-up.
Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Xie Zhiyan, I think it’s better if we meet my mom as friends today. We barely know each other—jumping straight into pretending to be a couple would seem fake."
Xie Zhiyan glanced at her but neither agreed nor disagreed.
Had it been one of those guests from the birthday banquet earlier, they would’ve been trembling at his silence, scrambling to figure out what they’d said wrong.
But Ning Yuxuan had known Xie Zhiyan since his student days, so his commanding aura had little effect on her.
Unfazed, she pressed on. "Besides, I just broke up a few days ago. If I show up with a new boyfriend so soon, my mom won’t buy it. Don’t you think?"
Xie Zhiyan responded coolly, "No objections here."
Ning Yuxuan clapped her hands together. "Then it’s settled."
There was still some distance to her family’s villa, and the two walked side by side.
As evening approached, their shadows stretched long, sometimes overlapping, sometimes drifting apart.
Ning Yuxuan stole a glance at the man beside her, curiosity bubbling up.
"Aren’t you even a little nervous?" she asked.
Xie Zhiyan gave her a sidelong look. "About what?"
Ning Yuxuan was momentarily speechless.
Right. What kind of situation hadn’t Xie Zhiyan faced before? Meeting parents was nothing to him.
A man like this—she doubted even the apocalypse would make him flinch.
"...Boring," she muttered under her breath.
A faint chuckle seemed to brush her ears.
She turned to look, but his expression gave nothing away.
Finally arriving at the villa’s entrance, Ning Yuxuan unlocked the door with her fingerprint.
Hearing the noise, Ning Fei came out from the living room and froze at the sight of Xie Zhiyan standing beside her daughter.
"Zhiyan?" She blinked in surprise before confirming, "Why... are you here with Yuxuan?"
It had been two years since Ning Fei last saw her old friend’s son.
The last time she met Zheng Xinmei, the woman had complained—though not without a hint of pride—that her son was too busy with work to visit more than once a month.
Among their peers, Xie Zhiyan was the only one who’d climbed to such heights, so his schedule was naturally packed.
Yet, without fail, he still made time to visit his mother at least once a month, always bearing gifts.
Xie Zhiyan handed Ning Fei a bag of fruit. "Yuxuan and I happened to run into each other today. Since it’s been a while since I last visited, I thought I’d drop by."
They had picked up the fruit from a small supermarket in the villa district earlier.
Ning Fei accepted it with a smile. "You’re too kind, Zhiyan. Let me put these away first. Yuxuan, get Zhiyan a pair of slippers."
As she headed to the kitchen, her mind raced.
If they’d met by chance, it must’ve been at the birthday banquet.
Her daughter and Xie Zhiyan hadn’t been in touch for years, and while she was close with Zheng Xinmei, she had little interaction with the rest of the Xie family.
For someone as busy as Xie Zhiyan to make a special trip with her daughter to see her...
Ning Fei couldn’t help but wonder.
After storing the fruit, she returned and asked, "Yuxuan, you two haven’t eaten yet, have you? I haven’t started cooking—I can easily set two more places."
Normally, a housekeeper handled meals, but with a TV appearance coming up, Ning Fei had been practicing her cooking skills lately.
Xie Zhiyan declined politely. "No need to trouble yourself. I have another engagement tonight and shouldn’t overstay. Actually, Yuxuan was the one who connected me to this opportunity..."
In just a few sentences, he laid out the "backstory" of investing in the hotel—why he’d chosen Ning Fei’s Huayuan over larger, more established competitors.
Standing beside him, Ning Yuxuan—the only one who knew the real reason—was impressed by how effortlessly he spun the tale without a single crack in his composure.
Ning Fei, none the wiser, was stunned before delight took over.
Since opening the hotel, she’d considered seeking investors but hesitated at her age, unwilling to take big risks or expend the energy required.
Yet just days after her daughter mentioned wanting to help manage the business, Xie Zhiyan of all people had appeared as an investor.
Overwhelmed by the sudden good news, she fumbled for words. "Then—"
Ning Yuxuan cut in. "Mom, leave the details to me. Consider it practice. If I hit a snag, I’ll come to you."
Ning Fei hesitated but agreed. "...Alright."
She wasn’t entirely at ease, but with Xie Zhiyan present, she went along with it.
Everything had gone suspiciously smoothly. Ning Yuxuan almost suspected Xie Zhiyan had planned this from the start.
Once outside, she couldn’t hold back. "Xie Zhiyan, did you already have this whole story prepared?"
Xie Zhiyan stayed silent—an admission in itself.
Ning Yuxuan huffed. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I wouldn’t have wasted time worrying about how to convince my mom you were genuinely interested in Huayuan."
Xie Zhiyan replied calmly, "You didn’t ask."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
His driver had already pulled up to the villa’s entrance.
Still annoyed, Ning Yuxuan feigned exaggerated politeness. "Oh, President Xie, you mustn’t keep your important dinner waiting. I won’t delay you any further."
Xie Zhiyan chuckled—this time, she definitely saw the corner of his mouth lift for a brief second.
Before getting into the car, he said, "See you next Tuesday."
Ning Yuxuan paused, then remembered—
They’d agreed to get married that day.
The bronze Bentley rolled away just as a black car pulled up.
Ning Shiyue stepped out, craning his neck to watch the departing luxury vehicle until it disappeared around the corner.
Ning Shiyue stepped forward: "Who was that guy at the door just now? Was he looking for you?"
It probably wasn’t Gu Yunhao—the vibe didn’t match, and Gu Yunhao usually drove a Panamera.
Ning Yuxuan stared at Ning Shiyue for two seconds before suddenly grinning. "Why so nosy? Not telling you!"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
Ning Yuxuan turned away with a smile, ignoring him as she went to open the door.
Seeing that Ning Shiyue had also returned, Ning Fei smiled. "Dinner will be ready in an hour. I’m making steamed sea bass for you this time."
Ning Shiyue bent down to change into slippers. "Thanks, Mom."
Ning Yuxuan chimed in, "You should thank me. I gave up my braised fish for you."
Ning Shiyue rolled his eyes.
The two of them helped Ning Fei prepare dinner, setting the dishes on the table.
Ning Shiyue brought up his plans for the next few days. "I’m going to Xingcheng tomorrow. I’ll be there for about two or three days."
As an actor, frequent travel was part of the job, so Ning Fei wasn’t surprised. "For a show recording?"
Ning Shiyue gave a vague "Mhm," then casually added, "And an audition."
As he spoke, he glanced at Ning Yuxuan.
He didn’t elaborate, but Ning Yuxuan immediately caught on. "The drama I mentioned to you before?"
Ning Shiyue lowered his head to pick up a piece of fish. "Yeah. They said there’s a role that suits me, and the director happens to be there."
Ning Yuxuan grinned. "Nice, nice."
Ning Fei looked at the siblings in surprise. "Yuxuan, you wanted Shiyue to audition?"
As far as she knew, Ning Yuxuan never paid attention to Ning Shiyue’s work—the two rarely even discussed it.
Ning Yuxuan laughed. "Yeah, I told him I really liked the novel the drama’s based on and wanted him to act in it."
Ning Shiyue quickly clarified, "It’s not just because she likes it that I’m going. There’s a role that fits me, so it’s just a coincidence."
Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.
"Alright, alright." Ning Fei watched their exchange with a knowing smile. "Whether it’s a coincidence or not, the outcome is good either way."
After dinner, Ning Shiyue returned to his apartment to pack for his trip the next day.
Ning Yuxuan went to the study.
Half an hour later, Ning Fei pushed open the study door with a plate of fruit and found her daughter staring at the computer screen, chin propped in her hand.
Ning Fei set the fruit on the desk. "What are you working on?"
Ning Yuxuan smiled. "Looking through the hotel documents you sent me earlier. When we open the new branch, I can’t just go in blind and clueless."
Seeing her daughter so motivated, Ning Fei felt immensely relieved.
Since graduating from college, Ning Yuxuan hadn’t seriously committed to anything for a long time.
But now, it seemed she had made up her mind. No matter what, Ning Fei was determined to support her wholeheartedly.
"Good," Ning Fei said. "If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me. If I can’t answer, I’ll ask the management team for you."
Over the next few days, Ning Yuxuan focused entirely on the hotel project.
First, she met with the seller again and officially signed the transfer contract.
When the seller heard she had actually decided to purchase the hotel, his shock was impossible to hide.
The rest of her time was spent planning the renovations and reopening strategy.
The four hotels were being sold for two main reasons: insufficient funds and poor profitability.
Ning Yuxuan visited each one and found that the interiors and facilities were outdated—two of them didn’t even have smart TVs.
Since Tongxing District wasn’t as developed as the city center, supply exceeded demand, and guests naturally avoided older, less-equipped hotels.
In a month, Beicheng would announce a resort district project and related policies, which would help—but there was still a lot to do.
Ning Yuxuan planned to renovate the two hotels closest to the resort first, upgrading their smart facilities and reopening them quickly to recover funds.
Even though Xie Zhiyan had promised financial backing, she couldn’t let all the locations operate at a loss indefinitely.
For the two farther from the resort, she wanted to transform them into themed hotels with unique styles to attract locals and tourists alike.
She already had some rough ideas for the themes, but feasibility studies and designs would take time—no need to rush.
On Friday evening, the official Weibo account for Dear Mom released a preview.
@DearMomSeason2: Tomorrow at 10 AM, Dear Mom Season 2: Mother-Daughter Special premieres! Set your alarms and get ready to meet the moms and daughters! @NingFei @NingYuxuan @QinMan @JiangNingAn @QiaoYaZhen @CenMeng
Thanks to the first season’s success, the two veteran actresses’ star power, and the earlier buzz, the show already had hundreds of thousands of followers before the premiere.
The comments section was flooded with fans of the guests, along with curious netizens and casual viewers.
[The main show is finally here! Can’t wait to see the two actresses together—have they ever shared a variety show stage before?]
[Same! Younger viewers probably don’t even know how iconic they were back in the day. Absolute legends!]
[As a casual viewer, I loved Jiang Ning’an in Heart’s Whisper. Had no idea her mom was also an actress!]
[I’m here for Ning Fei and her daughter Ning Yuxuan lol. The teaser already got me hooked—this mother-daughter duo seems hilarious.]
Sorted by time, the comments barely mentioned Cen Meng and her mother, Qiao Yazhen.
In a private room at a high-end restaurant in Beicheng, Cen Meng stared at her phone, biting her lower lip.
It’s fine, she told herself.
Those so-called veteran actresses were just coasting on past fame—their fanbases weren’t even as strong as hers now.
As for Ning Yuxuan? She was just riding on her mother’s coattails. In every other way, she was no match.
"Dream, why aren’t you eating?" Gu Yunhao’s voice pulled Cen Meng back to reality.
She blinked, then gave a soft, pitiful smile. "Yunhao, I just thought of something… Can I ask you?"
Her tone and expression were so fragile that Gu Yunhao immediately agreed. "Of course, Dream. What is it?"
Cen Meng lowered her eyes. "I was wondering… does Ning Yuxuan’s family have any connection to the Xie family?"
Gu Yunhao froze.
This wasn’t something she had "just thought of." In fact, she’d been obsessing over it for days.
She hadn’t found the right moment to ask at the birthday banquet, and texting him about it later would’ve made her seem too fixated on Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan.
Now, finally meeting Gu Yunhao, she had her chance.
Her lashes fluttered. "I just saw a news post about the Xie family, and then the show’s guest list… so I remembered what happened at the banquet. But if you don’t want to talk about it, just forget I asked."
Gu Yunhao’s heart softened. "Why wouldn’t I want to tell you? They…"
After a brief hesitation, he answered, "The Ning family has no ties to the Xies. Ning Yuxuan has probably only met Xie Zhiyan twice."
This issue had been on Gu Yunhao's mind for the past few days.
He had even asked a few friends and his own mother, but none of them had heard of any past connection between Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan.
Not wanting to tarnish his dependable image in front of Cen Meng, Gu Yunhao answered with absolute certainty.
Seeing his confidence, Cen Meng felt completely reassured.
If Gu Yunhao said so, then there was no need for her to hesitate or fear Ning Yuxuan anymore.
This time, she had learned her lesson—she had already contacted marketing accounts and a PR team in advance.
Once the show aired, she would make a stunning comeback, winning both public favor and popularity.
The humiliation Ning Yuxuan had dealt her at the banquet would be repaid tenfold!
Amid the elegant piano music in the restaurant, Cen Meng raised her champagne glass with a bright smile. "Yunhao, let's have a toast."
...
On Saturday morning, viewers eagerly gathered in the live-streaming channel.
The first official episode of Dear Mom had finally begun.
