◎ How would you like our wedding to be? ◎
When Ning Fei and Zheng Xinmei came to the living room, they saw Ning Shiyue flusteredly explaining himself to Xie Zhiyan.
"Brother Zhiyan, don't misunderstand!" Ning Shiyue said with genuine sincerity, "When I sent you that message back then, it absolutely wasn't because I supported that blond kid!"
Xie Zhiyan remained impassive. "Is that so?"
Ning Shiyue: "Yes! I sent you that WeChat because, because..."
The real reason was a bit hard to say out loud.
Back then, he wanted to show off to Xie Zhiyan that his status as a younger brother was higher than that of a boyfriend in Ning Yuxuan's heart, while also taking a little secret delight in Xie Zhiyan's predicament.
But now, Xie Zhiyan had been promoted from boyfriend to husband, while he was still the younger brother vying for attention with Duan Ziyao.
Thinking of this, Ning Shiyue pouted, his entire face drooping.
Ning Fei walked over, smiling at her son. "What's wrong, Xiao Yue? What trouble have you caused now to make Zhiyan angry?"
Zheng Xinmei also smiled. "Zhiyan, why do you always wear such a stern face even in front of your brother-in-law? Don't scare Xiao Yue."
A mother will always speak up for her own child first in front of others.
Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly. "It's nothing, I'm not angry. Just chatting casually with Shiyue."
Ning Shiyue chimed in hurriedly, "Right, right! I was just having a casual chat with Brother Zhiyan! It's all a misunderstanding!"
Ning Fei and Zheng Xinmei exchanged a look: these two kids, who knows what they're up to.
"Xuanxuan." Zheng Xinmei called to Ning Yuxuan, who had just finished sending a WeChat message. "Are you done?"
Ning Yuxuan nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Zheng Xinmei showed Ning Yuxuan two thick photo albums in her hands. "Last time I went to your place, didn't you say you wanted to see photos of Zhiyan from before? Your mom and I just went to the study and found these albums. Most of the photos taken when Zhiyan was little are in here."
Ning Yuxuan's eyes lit up. "There are this many?"
Zheng Xinmei smiled. "Mm-hmm. Shall we go take a look?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Let's go!"
She took the two large albums from Zheng Xinmei's arms. They had some heft, feeling heavy against her chest.
Ning Fei smiled gently nearby. "You two go ahead. I won't join. Xinmei has shown them to me so many times before, I've seen them all."
Back when Xie Zhiyan was little, Zheng Xinmei, like countless mothers, loved showing her best friend photos of her child.
Zheng Xinmei shot Ning Fei a mock glare. "A-Fei, you always tease me."
Ning Fei chuckled. "I'll go get some fruit."
Ning Shiyue and Xie Zhiyan were currently staring each other down.
The relationship between the two had always been a bit delicate.
The incident from getting drunk a while back was one aspect, but mainly, Ning Shiyue's feelings towards Xie Zhiyan were complex—
There was genuine admiration and envy before, mixed with a bit of fear.
Later, after Ning Yuxuan connected the two of them, a slight sense of rivalry was added.
After all, a person's energy is limited. Now that Ning Yuxuan had her own family, the time she could spare for her younger brother naturally decreased a little.
Yet, he sincerely hoped for Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan's happiness.
So, Ning Shiyue could help Xie Zhiyan brainstorm ideas, could help him sound out Ning Yuxuan's thoughts, but truly opening up to Xie Zhiyan like close brothers was still unlikely.
Seeing that Ning Yuxuan and Auntie Zheng were going to the other side of the living room to look at photos, Ning Shiyue hesitated for two seconds, then followed.
Ning Yuxuan glanced at him. "What are you coming for?"
With Xie Zhiyan not beside them, Ning Shiyue was bold. "I haven't seen Brother Zhiyan's childhood photos either!"
Zheng Xinmei naturally didn't mind. "It's fine, Xiao Yue can join us if he wants to see."
Ning Yuxuan sat on the sofa, the photo album spread open on her lap.
Zheng Xinmei and Ning Shiyue sat on either side of her.
As the album was opened to the first page, Zheng Xinmei pointed to the few photos on the far left. "See, these should be Zhiyan's earliest photos, taken when he was less than a year old. We hired a photographer to come to the house."
Looking at the chubby-cheeked little baby in the photo, Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but laugh.
It was hard to imagine that the little guy in the photo would grow up to look like Xie Zhiyan does now.
Whether out of guilt or something else, Ning Shiyue offered a compliment. "Brother Zhiyan was good-looking even as a child."
Ning Yuxuan exposed him. "That flattery is a bit forced. Don't babies under one all look pretty similar?"
Ning Shiyue rolled his eyes. "Well, you haven't seen ugly kids."
Zheng Xinmei chuckled. "Now I understand why A-Fei always complains to me that you two can start bickering anytime, anywhere."
The right side of the album page held a few photos of Xie Zhiyan at two or three years old.
Flipping further, there were photos from when he was four or five.
The further on, the more photos there were from each age, showing how diligently Zheng Xinmei had recorded her son's growth.
For every photo, Zheng Xinmei could recount the situation and story from when it was taken.
Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue listened with great interest.
On the other side, a fruit platter was placed on the coffee table, and Ning Fei sat with Xie Zhiyan.
The TV was playing Ning Shiyue's new drama. Their viewing progress was the same, so they could just watch the two latest episodes that had been updated today.
Laughter drifted over from both sides of the living room from time to time.
When everyone said their goodbyes that evening, Zheng Xinmei was extremely reluctant. "Let's get together again next weekend. I still have many signature dishes I didn't even have time to make today."
...
Friday, the opening ceremony for the last store was held as scheduled.
With that, all four planned new stores were officially open for business.
A few months ago, no one had been optimistic about the success of Huayuan's four new stores; there had even been considerable criticism within Huayuan itself.
Now, all those idle rumors had been shattered.
After the formal celebration banquet, Ning Yuxuan, Ning Fei, and Zhou Lin had a simple private meal together.
As the deputy general manager of the hotel, Zhou Lin was one of the overall persons in charge for this new store opening, while the general manager Chen Jun's main focus remained on operating Huayuan's previous dozen or so stores.
All the major and minor tasks for the new store openings, the countless on-site inspections, were things Ning Yuxuan and Zhou Lin had personally handled.
The work of expanding territory and maintaining the stable operation of existing stores were equally important and indispensable, but regarding the new store openings, Zhou Lin's feelings clearly ran deeper.
At the dinner table, after a few drinks, Zhou Lin's emotions welled up.
Zhou Lin raised her glass. "Yuxuan, I'd like to toast you."
With that, she downed the wine in her glass first.
Ning Yuxuan also drank hers.
Complex emotions swirled in Zhou Lin's eyes. "Yuxuan, do you remember our bet? Before coming here, I specifically checked the data. Now, in less than three months, we're already just a step away from your target."
Ning Yuxuan: "Of course I remember. Part of my motivation for working overtime recently was precisely because of our bet."
Zhou Lin: "Congratulations to you."
Ning Yuxuan smiled. "Auntie Zhou, you can congratulate me when the target is truly achieved."
Ning Fei looked at her daughter and the long-time employee with curiosity. "What bet? I didn't know about this."
Zhou Lin explained to Ning Fei the bet she had made with Ning Yuxuan: that the value of Hua Yuan's four new branches would double within a year from when they took over.
After listening, Ning Fei shook her head helplessly. "It's one thing for Xuanxuan to be young and impulsive, but how could you go along with her mischief?"
Ning Yuxuan chimed in, "Auntie Zhou has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Back then, she kept saying I was sure to lose, but these past few days, she's been working overtime even harder than I have."
Zhou Lin spoke her mind, "Because, deep down, even though I didn't believe you at first, I think I actually hoped you would win."
Ning Fei was also deeply moved. "Zhou Lin, you've been with me since the beginning of Hua Yuan. Back then, it was just the two of us running around construction sites, and now it's you and Xuanxuan. I don't even know how to thank you for everything you've done to help Hua Yuan get to where it is today."
Zhou Lin laughed heartily. "It's all part of my job. I've been well compensated with salary and commissions over the years, so there's no need for thanks. If you really don't know what to say, then let's just have a drink, Sister Fei."
As they spoke, the three clinked glasses a few more times.
...
After dinner, Ning Yuxuan didn't return to her apartment but went back to the villa with Ning Fei.
Xie Zhiyan was on a business trip to a neighboring city for the past two days and wouldn't be back until tomorrow.
But even if he weren't away, today was a major milestone for Hua Yuan, and Ning Yuxuan wanted to savor this moment with her mother.
After all, this hotel was the culmination of her mother's years of hard work.
Although Xie Zhiyan had also invested money, apart from occasionally offering some suggestions, he mostly let Ning Yuxuan have free rein.
This was what Ning Yuxuan had wanted for herself, and now she had achieved it.
All four branches had smoothly opened and entered the operational phase. By the end of the year, she could give Xie Zhiyan his dividend.
That dividend money might not mean much to Xie Zhiyan, but it held extraordinary significance for Ning Yuxuan herself.
Ning Yuxuan opened a social media platform and saw many posts from bloggers who had already checked in at the new branches.
This was part of her strategy. In an era where even good wine fears a deep alley, marketing was an essential task.
The previous incident where Duan Ziyao helped with promotion had also given Ning Yuxuan inspiration. This time, she had the marketing department contact many bloggers in advance to ensure promotion from the very start.
She had personally overseen the selection, vetting bloggers with high-quality content.
Ning Yuxuan browsed through these social media posts one by one. When she came across a popular video with a high number of likes, her gaze fixed intently.
The account that posted it wasn't one of the bloggers contacted by the marketing department, yet this post was incredibly popular, with view and comment counts even surpassing most of the partnered review bloggers.
Ning Yuxuan scrolled through the poster's profile. The woman seemed very wealthy, with previous videos sharing various six-star hotels and high-end jewelry.
Looking at the poster's photo, she felt a sense of familiarity but couldn't recall where she had seen her before.
Ning Fei, sitting beside her, noticed her daughter's serious expression and leaned over to look.
Seeing the woman in the photo, Ning Fei said gently, "Don't you remember? We met her during the day, and I chatted with her for a bit."
Ning Yuxuan was stunned for a moment before it dawned on her. "Mom, is this—"
Ning Fei smiled and nodded. "Yes. Qinrui and I had a pleasant chat. When we parted, she mentioned wanting to film a video about the hotel to post online, and I agreed."
Ning Yuxuan couldn't hide her surprise.
She had little contact with her father, Lin Yuanfeng, and even less impression of his current wife.
She only knew the woman came from the prominent Yan family in Jincheng and was named Yan Qinrui.
Ning Yuxuan knew her mother had long since moved on from that past marriage, but she hadn't expected her mother to get along quite well with her father's current wife.
"Mom..." Ning Yuxuan said, astonished, "so you and her... you've become friends?"
The situation was so sudden she wasn't sure how to address Yan Qinrui appropriately.
Ning Fei smiled and tapped her daughter's nose. "Of course not friends. We just had a simple, pleasant conversation, that's all."
She recalled their daytime conversation.
Yan Qinrui had a straightforward personality and spoke plainly: "Don't misunderstand, I'm not here because of anyone else. This style of themed hotel is rare in North City, and I'm very interested. I have an account for sharing my life. If you don't mind, could I film a video to post on social media?"
Ning Fei had smiled. "Of course, all guests are free to take photos. Please, feel free."
With Lin Yuanfeng between them, becoming friends was hardly appropriate, and Ning Fei didn't want to get too involved with people from her ex-husband's side.
However, she and Yan Qinrui personally had no grievances.
Since the other party was willing to help with promotion, there was no need to refuse.
Seeing her daughter's still-surprised expression, Ning Fei raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Is it that shocking?"
Ning Yuxuan blinked. "No! I genuinely admire your magnanimity and personal charm!"
Ning Fei couldn't help but laugh, gently patting her daughter's forehead. "Alright now, enough flattery. We had drinks today, so get to bed early!"
...
The next day, Xie Zhiyan returned from his business trip in the neighboring city.
That evening, Ning Yuxuan showed him the draft of the proposal she had been preparing for days.
It wasn't to ask the man to vet it for her, but purely to show him her accomplishments.
Now that all four new branches were open, it was time to set her sights on the next phase of development.
"Here!" Ning Yuxuan's eyes sparkled. "This is the future business blueprint I've planned for Hua Yuan. Don't you think it looks great?"
Xie Zhiyan didn't look at the proposal in her hand but at her eyes, his expression somewhat resigned. "Three days apart, and the first thing you want to do when we meet is talk business?"
Ning Yuxuan glared at him. "What's wrong with that? Career is more important than romance, you know!"
Xie Zhiyan smiled. "You're right, Boss Ning. So, after I finish reading your proposal, can we talk about something else?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Like what?"
Xie Zhiyan gently kissed her cheek. "Like how much I've missed you these three days."
Then he pulled her into his embrace. "And also, how would you like to plan our wedding?"
